How to Save a Life
by Elle Abel
Summary: "I can forgive, but I can never forget." Hostility towards him was uncommon when it came from a female, so he tries his best to get her to like him the way the rest of the females do, finding her as an interesting challenge. But he can never understand the pain he had caused, whether it was intentional or not. Kise x Oc
1. Chapter 1

**Me: This is my first ever Kuroko no Basuke fanfic~, and technically, this is also my first fanfic! I hope this goes well, and all!**

 **Summary:** "I can forgive, but I can never forget." Hostility towards him was uncommon when it came from a female, so he tries his best to get her to like him the way the rest of the females do, finding her as an interesting challenge. But he can never understand the pain he had caused, whether it was intentional or not. Kise x Oc

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke, sadly.**

 **Don't like, don't read.**

 **.,.,.,.**

 **Chapter 1**

It was already a bad day for her. First, she had forgotten to water the flowers on the bedside table in the room next to hers. Next, her mother was grouchier than usual, and there was a slap or two that happened, making a mess of her hair. And now, she just found out that the person she despised the most in all the universes that exist was near her.

Really, of all places to run into him, it had to be here, in this stupid school, and to be stuck with him for three years, give or take, was the worst moment she had ever experienced in her life.

Sighing exasperatedly to herself, she leaned back on her chair, twirling a pencil in her hands, and staring out the window. She could always ignore him, right?

"Psst, psst!"

Her eye twitched and she turned her head to the right, glaring at her seatmate. She could have tolerated his presence at the school, but did he really have to be her seatmate, as well?

"What do you want, Kise?" If looks could kill, the annoying blonde would have died over and over and over and over and over and over again. But unfortunately, all the glare did was make him grin ever more.

"Ogiwara-chan, want to go for some ice cream later?" he asked her, the grin never leaving his face. Some girls were squealing in the background, but most were glaring at the irritated brunette.

"No," she immediately answered.

"Why not?" he whined.

"Oh, I don't know because I don't like you?" she replied sarcastically.

"Why don't you like me?" he asked.

"Reasons you should know," she said, rolling her eyes and proceeding to stare out the window again. "Now, why don't you shut up and leave me alone?"

"But –"

By then, she had tuned him out, muttering a string of curses under her breath.

This school year and the ones to come would suck a lot.

.,.,.,.

When lunch came, she had organized her stuff in her bag before taking her wallet and leaning across the wall, letting the fangirls rush out first. Like hell was she going to be caught in that stampede.

When they had finally gone, she went out, but found her path blocked by the blonde.

"Ogiwara-chan, want to eat lunch with me?"

"Haven't I already told you that I don't like you and that you should leave me alone? God," she snapped. "Now, move."

"Not until you each lunch with me~"

She stared blankly at him, before turning around and opening a window.

"H-Hey, what are you going to do?" she heard him ask her nervously.

"Jump out, duh."

"W-Wait, don't do that!" the blonde whined, hurrying forward, arms outstretched. "What did I do to make you want to kill yourself?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Who the heck said anything about suicide?"

He blinked twice. "Huh?"

"I don't need to explain myself to you," she sneered, jumping down.

"OI!" she heard him shout, but she ran off, accidentally colliding with someone along the way.

.,.,.,.

Kise stared at the window where the girl previously was. She had actually jumped – from the third floor. She was either crazy or she was seriously serious about her not liking him a lot which pushed her to jump. Either reason seemed sensible to Kise, though he felt it leaned more towards the latter, not that he understood why.

Had he done something to make her hate him? As far as he knew, this was his first day at Kaijou. Had he ran into her somewhere before and maybe do something bad to her? Well, he wouldn't really know.

He shivered a little. He didn't want to admit it, but that glare of hers seemed like it pierced his soul.

Ogiwara…

Now, why did that surname seem a little familiar to him?

Shrugging, he decided to just ask the girl, and somehow pry it out of her. Although, he knew he would have to use some other kind of method, since the usual methods only work on his fangirls, and she was far from a fangirl, especially his – and that made her rather interesting.

.,.,.,.

"Yuki... sorry about that," she said, rubbing her arm sheepishly as she bowed towards her childhood friend.

"It's fine. Why were you running anyways?" he asked her. If it were any other female, he would have blushed and stuttered and sputtered out nonsense, but this was Ogiwara Natsumi, the girl he spent most of his childhood with, and the girl he (though he would always deny it) shared baths with before.

"I may have jumped from the window of my classroom," she stated.

"Oh, oka—" he was saying, until his brain had finally processed what she just said. "Wait, what?!"

She clicked her tongue. "The blonde brat was bugging me too much. He's already annoying, not to mention, I hate him, so add that together and you get yourself a very irritated person who would do anything to not be in the same room as him."

"So you decided to jump out the window?" he said with disbelief. "How is that connected?"

"He blocked the doors of the classroom, and said that the only way he'd let me pass was if I'd eat lunch with him." Natsumi said, frowning.

"Why would he ask you that?" Kasamatsu asked her. "No offense, but you don't seem like the type of girl he'd ask to eat lunch with."

"I'm far from offended, Yuki." Natsumi assured him. "Plus, I don't really know why. Maybe because I'm the only female in this school who hates him down to the core?"

Kasamatsu nodded. "Probably."

"Wanna eat lunch together?" Natsumi suggested.

"Sure."

.,.,.,.

After parting ways with Kasamatsu when lunch ended, Natsumi sat on her seat, doodling on a spare piece of paper when the devil came to her side.

"Ogiwara-chan, you know him?" a familiar and annoying voice asked.

"You'd have to specify who 'him' is since there are a lot of males in the world, genius." Natsumi said, not sparing him a glance.

"Kasamatsu, I mean."

"Wow, no 'senpai'. Talk about showing respect." Natsumi said. _Make that another thing to add on the list of 'Reasons Why I Hate Kise Ryota'._

"Do you know him, Ogiwara-chan?" he repeated, clearly ignoring what she just said.

"If I said 'yes', would you leave me alone?" Natsumi asked.

"After a few more questions, Ogiwara-chan."

"Tch, yes, I know Yuki, what do you want from him?" Natsumi asked him, giving him a protective glare.

"'Yuki'? Are you dating him or something?" he asked curiously.

"Just answer my damn question. Don't stray from the topic." Natsumi said.

"What question?"

Natsumi tried hard not to rip out his hair out of frustration. "What. Do. You. Want. From. Yuki."

"Oh!" he said. "He's the captain of the basketball team, right? I was planning to join."

"What part to I play in this anyways? You know he's Kasamatsu Yukio, the captain. What does that have to do with me knowing him?" Natsumi demanded.

"I know you hate me, but could you ask him to give me a spot with the regulars?" he asked without shame.

Natsumi's jaw dropped a little out of shock. _Was he seriously –_ "Like hell am I going to do that."

"W-what?" he asked, surprised.

"What, did you think that just because I was friends with him meant that he would do that for me? Clearly, you don't know him and you don't know me. He would never do that, even as a favor for me. Besides, why would I do _you_ a favor? I'm telling you this for the last time, but in an easier way for you to comprehend: I. Hate. You. And leave me alone." Natsumi spat with venom.

The blonde was still shocked.

Natsumi rolled her eyes.

 _God, this day is taking too long to end._

.,.,.,.

Kise was shocked. Did that just happen? Did that seriously just happen? Did someone just deny him something? Really? It really happened?

Kise's mouth opened a little, and closed, and opened again, and he was like a gaping fish.

He had been denied.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, he smirked to himself. Ogiwara Natsumi was interesting, and besides, he loves challenges.

.,.,.,.

Finally, the bell rang, and all the students could finally go home. This time, Natsumi didn't wait for the stampeding fangirls to pass. She jumped down the window, ignoring the shocked stares of most of her classmates, and waited by the gate of the school.

Students passed by her, not giving her a glance, and she was thankful for it. She was in a bad mood, and she knew she would've snapped at someone just to vent out her anger.

"You should've gone home, Natsu." Kasamatsu told her in a disapproving tone, his arms crossed.

Natsumi shrugged and gave him a half smile. "It's worth it. Besides, she's coming home late today."

Kasamatsu sighed. _She just never changes…_ "Alright, alright. Come on, I'll treat you to ice cream."

She pumped her fist in the air, and he chuckled.

 _She's coming back, slowly but surely…_

.,.,.,.

As they walked home, ice creams in their hands, Natsumi spoke, "You know, the brat asked me to do him a favor and make you put him on the regulars. I'm pretty sure he meant that he didn't need tryouts."

Kasamatsu scoffed. "As if you'd do that, and as if _I'd_ do that."

Natsumi nodded. "Yeah, but his head's as hard as a brick. You're lucky you're not in the same batch, same class, and being seatmates with him."

Kasamatsu patted her shoulder. "There, there."

Though she may have perceived it to be a joking manner, he was quite serious about his sympathy. To think that she was so close to _him_ – the one who had ruined her life.

Kasamatsu smirked. "Don't worry, Natsu. I'm going to give him a really hard time, so he'd really have to prove himself."

"Not only in basketball, but as a human, as well, Yuki," Natsumi told him. "You know, he didn't even address you as 'senpai'."

"The nerve of that brat…"

"I know right?"

.,.,.,.

When Natsumi got home, silence greeted her, and that unnerved her. She would have welcomed her mother's loud reprimanding voice about some little thing she might have done that caused her mother to be annoyed. She didn't like the silence at all.

It was broken by the sound of her cellphone ringing. Glancing at who was calling her, she let out a bitter smile. "Hi, there."

" _Hello, Natsumi-san."_

"Didn't I tell you to drop the '-san', already? I'm not _that_ old." Natsumi said, chuckling a little.

" _My apologies."_

"So, how's it going over there?"

" _The school's alright. The team, on the other hand…"_

"You've found the right team, huh?"

" _Yes, I have."_

"That's great, isn't it?"

" _Yes, it is. Then they will finally realize where they went wrong."_

"God, I hope they do. I'm stuck with one of them."

" _Ah, Kise-kun, I believe?"_

"Yup, you've got that right."

" _I'm very sorry, Natsumi-chan."_

Natsumi let out a laugh. "Thank you for the sympathy."

She then heard some shouting, and the person on the other line sighed.

" _I need to go, Natsumi-chan."_

"Alright. Do drop by once in a while."

" _Of course. Goodbye, Natsumi-chan."_

"Goodbye, Tetsu."

 **.,.,.,.**

 **Me: Will update in two weeks or so? I don't know…**

 **Also, there won't be much basketball scenes in this story, so yeah…**

 **Review please :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Me: Thank you so, so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows! It really means a lot!**

 **Replies to the fabulous reviews I've received so far:**

 **To Matsuo Nozomi** : You'll find out eventually :D Thanks for finding this interesting!

 **To** **Iridescent Blue Sky** : Thanks for finding my writing good (I mean, this IS the first fanfic I've ever written in my life hahaha), and I really portrayed Kasamatsu well? Thanks! I actually didn't know how to, since I've never seen him act with people NOT involved in the basketball world, you know? You'll find out why eventually, as well :D

 **To Human Marshmallow:** Thanks, and you'll find out why in the next chapters :D

 **To Akashicchi-ssu:** Thank you for finding it cool and interesting!

 **(I hope I typed your names correctly)**

 **Since I already did a disclaimer in the last chapter, I guess I don't need to type it anymore? Oh, well.**

 **Here's chapter 2!**

 **.,.,.,.**

 **Chapter 2**

"So, when are you holding tryouts, Yuki?" she asked her best friend as they walked to school together. "I'm looking forward to seeing you make the blondie cry."

"Tryouts are tomorrow." Kasamatsu replied with a hint of a smirk on his face. "Don't worry. I don't plan on going easy on anyone, especially him."

"That's good to know." Natsumi said as they reached the gates of the school, where a large crowd was forming. "And what's happening over there?"

"It's Kise." Kasamatsu said, clicking his tongue.

When they had reached the end of the crowd, Natsumi could hear the squeals of the fangirls and the annoying voice of Kise. "Right. I suppose we do it like the old days?"

Kasamatsu chuckled. "Why not?"

Natsumi grinned as she gave her bag to Kasamatsu. They walked to the back of the school, where the walls were relatively lower than the ones in front. Natsumi took a breath before running and going up the wall, kind of like what they do in parkour. She dropped down to the ground, breathless, but she was enjoying herself.

"Oi, Yuki, you can throw them now!" Natsumi called out from the other side. Her bag was then soaring into the air, and she caught it with her left hand, while Kasamatsu's bag was caught by her other hand.

A few moments later, Kasamatsu dropped down next to her, panting slightly. "I'm getting old, aren't I? Wait, don't reply to that."

Natsumi laughed as she gave him his bag. "It was tiring, yes, but it was fun, wasn't it?!"

Kasamatsu glanced at her as they walked to the main entrance of the school. She was smiling, and inside, he was happy about that. The last time he had seen her like this was sometime in her third year of middle school, so he was thankful for whatever or whoever had made her like this.

"Yeah, yeah. Come on, let's go."

.,.,.,.

"Kise-kun, please sign my notebook~!"

"Kise-kun, can you take a picture with me?"

"Kise-kun!"

Natsumi's eye twitched as more noisy (and annoying) fangirls crowded around her seatmate's table, and to be specific, they were a part of the girls forming the crowd earlier this morning.

Normally, she would have been happy, because it meant that she wouldn't have to see his face, but in this case, the fangirls were even bumping onto her desk. A vein in her head throbbed, and she swore that if she stayed here a minute more, she'd get a migraine.

Huffing, she stood up and walked outside the classroom, unaware of the pair of eyes that followed her.

.,.,.,.

She stood in front of the classroom and knocked, patiently waiting for an answer. The door opened and she was greeted by Uryu Misaki, the most popular third year girl in Kaijou.

"Ah, hello, there." Misaki smiled at her.

"O-Oh, u-um… w-well… h-hi t-t-there, U-Uryu-s-senpai…!" Natsumi stuttered with a blush.

"Did you need something?" Misaki asked her.

"Y-Y-Yes! I, uh, c-could I c-come in?" Natsumi asked.

Misaki nodded. "Of course!"

Misaki stepped aside and Natsumi came in. She was greeted by the curious glances of the third years as she bowed to Misaki. "T-Thank you, s-senpai!"

"It's no problem, really!" Misaki said as she went back to her seat.

Natsumi then scurried over to Kasamatsu's table and leaned on the table next to it. "Can I eat with you, Yuki?"

"Don't you always?" Kasamatsu shrugged as he moved over so they could share his chair. "You forgot again, eh?"

"It's not my fault!" Natsumi protested with a pout. "How was I supposed to know that she was leaving this morning?"

Kasamatsu then brought out an extra bento from his bag and handed it to her, along with a pair of black plastic chopsticks. "My dad assumed this would happen, so he made one for you, too."

Natsumi's eyes lit up as she happily accepted the bento, eating the food with a smile. "Wah~, thank Otou-san for me, will ya?"

"Thank him yourself." Kasamatsu told her. "Yuji and Reiji have missed you a lot."

Natsumi chuckled. "I live right across you. If they missed me, they could just ask me to come over."

Kasamatsu shrugged as he finished his meal. He placed his chopsticks in his bento, and placed the bento inside his bag. "So, what brings you here? I'm pretty sure it's not just to spend time with me."

"You're making me sound mean, you know." Natsumi pouted. "Well, I really was planning to go here. It was just sped up by blondie's fangirls."

"Even now, I still wonder why you can tolerate those fangirls." Kasamatsu noted.

"'Tolerate' is the wrong word." Natsumi shook her head. "They're monsters, I tell you. _Monsters_."

"Still, you treat them differently from the rest." Kasamatsu smirked.

Natsumi pouted again. "Hey! You become wimpy around girls, too!"

"Oi! At least they never thought I had a crush on them!"

"That was before!"

 _\- Flashback -_

 _A nine year old Natsumi and an eleven year old Kasamatsu were just shooting basketballs in the hoop located in the court near their school when a group of four girls approached the courts. Kasamatsu and Natsumi didn't mind them, until one of the girls stepped forward and called out, "A-Ano…"_

 _Kasamatsu and Natsumi stopped as they looked at the girls._

" _Y-Yes?" Kasamatsu answered nervously._

 _The girl shyly walked towards Natsumi and bowed. "T-The thing is… I've h-had a crush on y-you for a w-while now, O-Ogiwara-kun! So…"_

 _Natsumi and Kasamatsu blinked, before staring at each other and turning back to the girl._

" _U-Um… t-the thing i-is… well... I… uh… I have to d-decline…" Natsumi stuttered nervously._

 _The girl looked up and her face screamed 'sadness'. "W-Why? I…. I thought y-you liked m-me, too…"_

" _E-Eh? W-What made you s-say that?" Natsumi asked, surprised at what the girl just said, and quite curious about what made the girl say that._

" _M-My brother said t-that if a b-boy b-blushes when y-you talk to t-them o-or stutters when t-they're near you, t-then that means that t-they like you, t-too…" the girl replied, playing with the hem of her shirt._

 _Natsumi scratched the back of her head awkwardly. "W-Well now… t-that's…"_

 _Kasamatsu was tempted to laugh, but since there were girls in his presence, he kept it to himself._

" _T-The thing i-is… I… I'm a g-girl…"_

 _\- Flashback End -_

"Stop laughing!" Natsumi exclaimed as she placed her chopsticks in her bento and handed the bento to Kasamatsu, who placed it in his bag as well. "Jeez…"

"But I'm not laughing." Kasamatsu said, a smile fighting its way to his lips.

Natsumi crossed her arms. "Mou, so what if I looked a guy before?"

"Nothing." Kasamatsu replied. "Now, get going, or you'll be late for your next class."

Natsumi stood up and mock-glared at him. "You're buying me ice cream later, whether you like it or not."

Kasamatsu rolled his eyes. "I know, I know. I'll buy you the new flavor, so go on!"

Natsumi nodded and went back to her classroom.

.,.,.,.

When she returned, she came back just in time, as their sensei had arrived a few seconds after she did. As their sensei talked about some math equation that she could care less about, a note appeared on her desk. Curiously, she looked around to see who it was from, and surprisingly, it was from Kise, who was motioning for her to open it.

Really, she could just have thrown it out the window, but curiosity overcame her – or maybe because she could throw in a sarcastic comment on whatever was written there.

' _Ne, will you be watching the try-outs tomorrow, Ogiwara-chan?'_

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow, but his attention was apparently on the board, as he copied the math formula provided to them.

 _O…kay?_

She brought out a pen, but hesitated to reply.

What the hell was she doing, replying to him? This was the kind of thing she only used to do with her cousin back in her middle school days, so it felt odd to do it with someone else, especially Kise Ryota. Again, she could simply ignore it, but why didn't she?

' _Obviously. Why? What do you want now?'_

She tossed it effortlessly onto the center of his desk and diverted her attention to the board, where their sensei was now giving them a problem to solve.

As she wrote down the solution, the paper found its way to her desk again.

' _Wait 'til you see me in action, Ogiwara-chan!'_

That made her raise both of her eyebrows.

' _Why should I bother watching you?'_

His reply was quick, almost as if he had been expecting the question.

' _Wah~! So mean, Ogiwara-chan! If you watched me, you'd be dazzled! Plus, you'd see just how good I am compared to Kaijou's regulars-ssu~!'_

She was tempted to throw a pencil, or a book, or anything that could make his ego deflate, at him.

' _You think you're that good just because you're (apparently) talented at basketball? Please. Yuki would prove you wrong.'_

' _Eh~? Is that so? You'd better watch me beat him, Ogiwara-chan!'_

' _Well, sorry to burst your bubble but I'd be watching Yuki beat_ _ **you**_ _.'_

She didn't bother replying after that, as she finished writing her solution. She snuck a glance at her seatmate and saw that the blonde was smirking.

She sighed.

.,.,.,.

"You _what_?!" Kasamatsu exclaimed, placing his hands on her shoulders and shaking her back and forth.

"B-But he was insulting you and the regulars and maybe even all the members of Kaijou's basketball team! I did it to defend your honor!" Natsumi said dramatically. When he released her, she slung an arm around his neck, as she watched the ground spin around.

"Tch, you didn't have to do that." Kasamatsu said, a blush on his embarrassed face.

"Meh, it was for my bro, anyways, so it was worth it." Natsumi said, waving a hand, as they walked towards Kasamatsu's house. "And you can just buy me that ice cream some other time. I need quality time with my harem."

"They are _not_ in your harem. You don't even have one, anyways!" Kasamatsu protested.

"Yet," Natsumi said as they reached the front door. "They love me too much, you know?"

"Unfortunately…" Kasamatsu grumbled.

He opened the door, and Natsumi called out, "Tadaima~!"

"Natsu-nee/nii!" two voices said in unison, as footsteps were heard, and Natsumi was tackled to the ground by Kasamatsu's younger brothers.

"Natsu-nee, why'd you only come by now?" the middle child, Kasamatsu Yuki, whined as he hugged Natsumi's arm.

"Natsu-nii, play with us today, okay?" the youngest, Kasamatsu Reiji, said with his cute little voice as he hugged Natsumi's other arm.

"Hai, hai~" Natsumi said as she hugged the boys back. She looked at Kasamatsu and smirked, "Ne~, it seems they love me more~"

Kasamatsu huffed and ruffled his brothers' hair. "Oi, is it true you love her more?"

The boys looked at each other before replying, "We love you both equally!"

Natsumi swore that the background behind the boys turned into flowers and sparkles, as she laughed. "That's nice to know! Have you both eaten yet?"

The boys shook their heads.

"The old man isn't back yet." Yuki said.

"We were waiting for Natsu-nii so we can eat her food!" Reiji added.

"Hai~, I'll make you some omelets today~" Natsumi said. "Why don't you both start on your homeworks while waiting?"

"Okay~" they said as they ran upstairs, heading into their respective rooms.

Natsumi and Kasamatsu then placed their bags on a couch in the living room, before heading to the kitchen. As Natsumi grabbed all the materials and ingredients she needed, Kasamatsu sat down on a chair and said, "You know, I never got to thank you."

Natsumi looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"You've been like a sister or maybe even a mother figure to them." Kasamatsu said, looking at the pictures hanging on the wall. "They needed it."

Natsumi laughed as she started cooking. "It's nothing really, compared to what you guys have done for me. It was the least I could do. Plus, they've really grown on me…"

"Hmm…" Kasamatsu hummed, as the smell of Natsumi's cooking reached his nose.

 **.,.,.,.**

 **So.. I read in KnB wiki that Kasamatsu had two younger brothers, so I got the idea from that.**

 **Anyways~, I guess some of you are wondering why Natsumi acted that way to her senpai and the girl in the flashback. Well~, both she and Kasamatsu are nervous around girls. You'll find out why Natsumi's like that in later chapters.**

 **Me: *grins* How was that? This was a longer chapter for you guys, as thanks for the numerous favorites, follows, and reviews I've received! Thanks again!**

 **Oh, and review please! :))**


	3. Chapter 3

**Me: Are you guys serious? This much faves and follows, and that was only the second chapter? You guys are amazing! Thanks a lot!**

 **I apologize for the late update, but it was due to the infamous school striking again, bringing with it homeworks and those obnoxious projects. Ahem.**

 **Thankfully, the quarter has ended and I now have a lot of free time on my hands~!**

 **Replies to those beautiful reviews:**

 **To Amy1945:** Thank you so much! It means a lot.

 **To ForeverIsNever:** Thank you! Want to make an account? *wink* *wink*

 **To CeciliaWinnifer:** Here's the update! Does my story make you feel the suspense or something? Haha.

 **To Prince:** Natsu and Kasamatsu, huh…? To be honest, I sort of thought of that, but decided against it since my friend was screaming in my ear about how Kise and Natsu were meant to be. But, we'll see~

 **To Akashicchi-ssu:** Thank you! And yes, Natsu and Kasamatsu are meant to be similar in some ways, considering the fact that they _are_ best friends. There were bound to be similarities.

 **To Vl8041:** Thank you! Here's the update!

 **(I hope I typed your names correctly. If not, sorry~)**

 **Here's chapter 3!**

 **And this follows the setting of chapter 2, so Natsumi is still at Kasamatsu's house.**

 **.,.,.,.**

 **Chapter 3**

To say Ogiwara Natsumi was happy was an understatement.

Her mother was on a business trip, which is why she wasn't able to make breakfast (or lunch) for Natsumi earlier. The trip would last a few days, and she had taken Natsumi's cousin along. Of course, Natsumi felt a little lonely without her cousin, but Natsumi finally had the house to herself again, with no mother scolding her on every little thing.

This also meant that she was crashing at Kasamatsu's place.

Because she and Kasamatsu were childhood friends, she had gotten to know the Kasamatsu patriarch well whenever she dropped by their house, and Kasamatsu Kyo had known about Natsumi's 'little' family problem at home, which led him to tell the girl to always stay at their place whenever her mother just let her be.

Today would just be another of those days, but those were days that Natsumi treasured the most.

Natsumi skipped back to Kasamatsu's house, opening the front door with the spare key that was given to her by Kasamatsu's father. "Guess what?!"

"What?!" was the excited shout of both Yuki and Reiji, who were jumping up and down. "Are you staying, Natsu-nee/nii?"

Natsumi nodded, making the brothers smile with joy.

"Natsu-nee, we've finished our homeworks!" Yuki informed her.

"After we eat, can you play with us, Natsu-nii?" Reiji asked her with an adorable smile on his chubby face.

"Of course! I said so, didn't I?" Natsumi grinned at them as she led them to the kitchen, where Kasamatsu was waiting for them.

"Well, it's about time." Kasamatsu told Natsumi. He had already changed into casual clothes, and Natsumi scowled at him.

"Well, I'm sorry if I still have to walk to where your house is." Natsumi grumbled as she sat in front of him, with Reiji beside her, as Yuki had taken the spot next to Kasamatsu.

"Itadakimasu!" they said as they dug in.

"Wah~, Natsu-nii, it tastes really good!" Reiji said with satisfaction, letting out a cute little burp.

Natsumi laughed, wiping the rice from his cheek with tissue.

"It really does, Natsu-nee!" Yuki added.

"Thanks!" Natsumi said with a smile as she placed her utensils on her empty plate.

"I wish you could cook for us forever! Then, you can be our mommy!" Reiji said, making the other three stiffen, for different reasons, but because of the same person.

Natsumi tried to smile at Reiji, without him being suspicious. "R-Reiji, if I was your mommy that would mean that I have to marry Otou-san."

Reiji blinked then smiled. "Then you can be my sister!"

"That would be better for me." Natsumi said with a true smile.

"So you should marry Kio-nii now." Reiji said happily.

Kasamatsu choked on his drink, as Natsumi blushed and Yuki laughed out loud.

"Reiji… I c-can't marry Yukio…" Natsumi stuttered. "Maybe, Otou-san should just adopt me."

"Ok!" Reiji said. "As long as you're here, I don't mind!"

Natsumi's gaze at him softened, touched that the younger boy thought of her like that. She ruffled his hair and told the two younger boys, "Well, go up to the play room, now. I'll just put these in the sink, and then we can play!"

"Yay!" they cheered, dashing up the stairs.

"Be careful when running!" Natsumi shouted up at them.

"Ok!" they shouted back.

Natsumi smiled and turned back to get the plates, only to find Kasamatsu washing them already. "Huh? Yuki?"

Kasamatsu just looked back at her and jerked his head upwards. "Go after them. I'll handle this."

"Are you sure?" Natsumi asked him.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Thank you!" Natsumi beamed at him, going after the boys.

Kasamatsu chuckled and shook his head, as he grabbed he next plate, only to find out that it was Reiji's plate – and he did _not_ like washing Reiji's plate, because it usually ended up like what it was right now – a heart made out of ketchup with his and Natsumi's names in it.

His ears turned red with embarrassment as he made sure to clean this one the most. He would get revenge… one day.

.,.,.,.

Kasamatsu Kyo was a nice man and a loving father. He would always try to spend time with his family whenever he could. And by 'family', he meant his three sons and of course, his eldest son's best friend – Ogiwara Natsumi.

He had always been welcoming to Natsumi, even treating her as his own kid, and this increased when he found out from his son what Natsumi was experiencing at home. How she could still smile brightly was a mystery for him, but he admired her strength.

Often, he would tease his son, Yukio, about arranging a marriage between him and Natsumi. As expected, Yukio had always blushed, saying that it would never happen and asking him why he would even suggest such a thing. But, Kyo was smart, and he could see that Natsumi fit in so well with his family.

Looking at them now from where he was standing, he leaned against the doorframe. He watched as they played a racing game on the PlayStation hooked to the TV, with Natsumi dominating the game. He watched as Yukio grumbled about her cheating, and watched his other two sons defend her. He watched as Yukio pouted slightly, until Natsumi had glomped him, the other two following suit, and they had ended up in a dogpile.

He could see how much she meant to his sons, and he knew that she was a tremendous help, especially ever since his wife had died a few years ago.

"Having fun without _me_? How cruel." Kyo said, announcing his presence.

The younger boys who were on top of Natsumi jumped up, pushing Natsumi back down in the process. They ran towards their father and hugged him tight.

"Otou-san!" Yuki and Reiji said.

Kyo chuckled as he ruffled their hairs, glancing at the two teenagers who were having a mini-wrestling match for the controller next to them.

Natsumi had lost, so she pouted. She sat up and waved at Kyo. "Hi, Otou-san!"

Kyo smiled at her. She was resembling his wife a lot – they had the same smile. "Hello, Natsumi. How's school been lately? Have you been taking care of her from all the perverts out there, Yukio?"

Kasamatsu scoffed. "Please, I don't even _need_ to take care of her. She can handle herself."

Kyo then caught Kasamatsu in a playful headlock. "I didn't raise you to be like that, now did I, Yukio? I raised you to be a gentleman!"

Yuki, Reiji, and Natsumi laughed at Kasamatsu.

"It's true, though, Otou-san. If anything, _I'm_ the one protecting him from all those fangirls that want to take him away from his precious family." Natsumi said.

Kyo let go of Kasamatsu and ruffled Natsumi's hair. "That's good to hear. See, Yukio, you should be more gentleman-like like Natsumi."

Natsumi nodded, playing along.

Yukio huffed and crossed his arms, looking away.

Natsumi smiled and glomped him from behind. "Aww, don't be like that, Yuki! We love you, too."

"Yeah!" Yuki and Reiji said, glomping Natsumi as well, making her and Kasamatsu fall down to the floor. They all broke out into laughter, and Kyo smiled at the sight.

He wished it could be like this for an eternity, preferably with the addition of his wife.

.,.,.,.

Dinner at the Kasamatsu house was lively, especially when Natsumi was around. She was the one who cracked jokes and made funny 'insults' that the rest didn't take to heart at all. They could be open around one another, and that was a factor that helped bond their family.

"Anything new that's happened lately?" Kyo asked the four, who were gobbling up the food he made.

"Some plastic blondie's trying to get into the basketball team. I know he could do it, but his personality's a turn-off." Natsumi huffed, grumbling slightly. "He could at least address Yukio with a senpai, and he could lower his ego a little bit, you know."

"Blondie? Reminds me of that model we have at work." Kyo replied, making Kasamatsu and Natsumi stiffen.

"I-Is his name…" Natsumi started, letting Kasamatsu finish for her, "… _Kise Ryota_?"

Kyo blinked. "That was the 'plastic' guy you were talking about? Kise-kun? Huh, is that so? He doesn't seem like that to me. In fact, he just reminds me of an overgrown puppy."

Natsumi laughed. "That he is – sometimes, at least."

Kasamatsu, who had just gotten over the shock of finding out that his father was working with _Kise_ of all people, asked the ceiling, "Why? What did I do to deserve this? Did I do something horribly wrong during the span of my life?"

Natsumi rolled her eyes at him as Yuki and Reiji laughed.

"So, how _is_ Kise-kun plastic?" Kyo asked curiously, resting his chin on his hand.

Natsumi and Kasamatsu smirked, as they began to tell Kyo about their encounters with the blonde species known as Kise Ryota.

.,.,.,.

 _Later that night…_

Kasamatsu and his father were still downstairs in the dining room, with the latter finishing a cup of coffee.

"How is she really?" Kyo asked his son, whose eyebrows furrowed with concern.

"She seems happier, but…" Kasamatsu sighed. "With _him_ out of the house and with her mother, she must be pretty worried about how her mother would influence _him_."

Kyo hummed. "True. I just hope that _he_ wouldn't give up."

Kasamatsu nodded. "He's probably the only family member she can rely on, but with him in his current state…"

Kyo sighed. "Ah, well. Let's sleep on it. Go on up then, Yukio."

Kasamatsu nodded, exchanging a 'good night' with his father before heading up to where his three younger siblings were – two legitimate and one who he just considered as, and he was surprised by the sight.

Yuki, Reiji and Natsumi were sleeping on the floor of the play room, with pillows under their heads and blankets covering them. Yuki was resting on Reiji's stomach, who was resting on Natsumi's stomach.

Kasamatsu's eyes softened.

The last time this had happened was when his mom was still here. He and Natsumi were safely tucked under his mother's arms, and Yuki and Reiji were curled up next to them.

And he wished those days hadn't ended.

 **.,.,.,.**

 **Me: And there's a little drama part at the end~ Placing that aside, the tryouts for Kaijou would be held in the next chapter, which I hope to update as soon as two weeks from now! Possibly earlier. ^^**

 **Also, I guess you could consider this as a filler chapter, but I wanted to show more of Natsumi's relationship with the rest of the Kasamatsu family.**

 **So, yeah.**

 **Review please~**


	4. Chapter 4

**Me: Hi, guys! What's up? Sorry for the delayed update. You can blame school for it. Ahem.**

 **Right, also, I noticed that I accidentally typed 'Yuji' instead of 'Yuki' for Kasamatsu's younger bro's name, so I fixed chapter 2 (more like one word in chapter 2 haha) already, woo-hoo.**

 **\- Will reply to reviews in the next chapter, which will hopefully be updated soon.**

 **Well, now that that's finished, here's chapter 4! Hope you guys like it!**

 **P.S.: I have** _ **absolutely**_ **no idea what happened during the Kaijou try-outs, except for the fact that Kise started to respect Kasamatsu or something. So, based on that fact, I just made something up for it. And I also have no idea what goes on during basketball try-outs in general, so I asked my best friend (he's in our school's varsity) to tell me what went on in his. And of course, I tweaked the try-outs a little to fit what I want/imagine it to be.**

 **So, here's a rather long chapter for you guys!**

 **.,.,.,.**

 **Chapter 4**

Kasamatsu Yukio was a tough person. He wasn't easily scared by anything, but the moment he woke up, what he saw seemed to be an exception.

Ogiwara Natsumi was as happy as a child during Christmas, or even during a child's birthday, and as much as he was happy for her, he couldn't help but feel just a little bit creeped out.

He watched as his best friend twirled around his room, letting out cackles every now and then. He sighed, facepalming. "Natsu, it's too early for the world to endure your antics." The sentence ' _Shut up already so I can go back to sleep'_ was left unsaid.

"Oh, hush, Yuki. Let me be happy and free." Natsumi said, fixing her uniform as she did. "I've already made food, and I've got nothing to do, so let me enjoy life."

She continued twirling around, letting out occasional skips, and Yukio couldn't help but question the ways of fate and destiny.

That was how the rest of the Kasamatsus found the two – Natsumi in her uniform, acting like nothing was wrong with the world and Yukio in his pajamas, looking like he was about to give up on life.

"Natsumi, why are you so happy? Did Yukio grow a pair and ask you out?"

The Kasamatsu patriarch's question put the pair's actions to a halt, as both of their faces grew red.

"Oyaji!" Natsumi wailed as Yukio tried to calm down. "You've got it all wrong!"

"Eh? Then why's Natsu-nee so happy all of a sudden?" Yuki asked innocently.

"Well, maybe Natsu-nii's just schizophrenic." Reiji inputted.

"Skizu… shizu… what?" Yuki tried to repeat adorably, making Natsumi squeal and cuddle the boy vigorously.

"He's lying, don't believe him." Natsumi told the boy.

"Okay, Natsu-nee," Yuki said, grinning.

"But, really, though, what's gotten you so cheerful?" Kyo asked the brunette.

She grinned evilly. "Yuki's going to be torturing someone today."

"Oh?" Kyo let out. _Ah, well. Whatever makes the kid happy._

.,.,.,.,.

When Kise Ryota entered the classroom today, he honestly expected his seatmate to continue giving him the cold shoulder and pretend that he didn't exist. Today was an exception, it seemed.

She was smiling at him – if 'smiling' meant 'looking at someone as if you were going enjoy them being tortured in the most horrible ways'.

"Ara~ Ogiwara-chan, have you finally fallen for me?" he asked her jokingly as he took his seat, watching as her expression remained the same. She didn't answer his question, choosing to hum happily instead.

"Is that a 'yes'?" he asked, but she didn't give him any clarification. She simply continued humming, sending him amused glances every now and then.

He was beginning to get creeped out, but, hey, at least she wasn't ignoring him anymore, right?

Kise Ryota – 1 ; Ogiwara Natsumi – 0

.,.,.,.,.

It was lunch break, and Yukio and the other members of the basketball team were handing out flyers. It wasn't too late to do so, and some of the freshmen who took flyers seemed promising.

Natsumi wanted to help in giving out flyers. She really did, but unfortunately, she was called to have a little chat with Takeuchi Genta, the coach of Kaijou's basketball team.

"You called, Takeuchi-sensei?" she asked as she sat down on a chair that was provided for her.

The man nodded. "Have you joined a club yet, Ogiwara?"

Why was he asking her? How odd. Why would he care about her – hell, about anyone's – choice of club? Well, maybe for his regulars, but most definitely not her.

Natsumi shrugged as she leaned back on her chair. "I was thinking about joining the soccer or swimming club…"

Takeuchi raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Sports clubs, huh? Ever think about joining the basketball team?"

Natsumi laughed. "And what? Chop my hair off, pretend to be a guy, and play? Haha! Takeuchi-sensei, you know I can't play to save my life."

Takeuchi rolled his eyes. "Not as a player, Ogiwara, but as a manager."

Natsumi blinked. "Oh, well, do you even need one? I mean, you handle them pretty fine."

"The thing is, I'm going to be pretty busy this year, especially with the incoming Inter-High and the Winter Cup. I discussed this with Kasamatsu and he recommended you." Takeuchi replied.

Natsumi's eyes widened. _Yuki recommended me? What the hell did he tell Takeuchi-sensei?!_ "B-But, sensei, I –"

"You don't have to join," he cut her off. "It's merely an option I'm informing you of. But, if you decide to join, you are very much welcomed."

Natsumi thought it over.

To be honest, she didn't want to join. She was fine with watching them play, but being directly involved wasn't something she was ecstatic about. She would have a lot of responsibilities – getting them towels and water, monitoring their progress, supervising them, maybe even making their training programs and whatnot. She could do that. It was manageable. But what she didn't want to happen was seeing them fail and knowing that it was her fault as well. It was selfish, yes, but she didn't want the blame. And what if they crush another opponent – if they crushed them so bad, just like how the Generation of Miracles—

Natsumi sighed and shook her head. To take this job, she needed to separate her personal feelings from it. That is, _if_ she took the job.

"Say I said 'yes' but I still wanted to be in another club… how would I do that?" she asked.

"It's possible to be in two clubs if you alternate between them, say, each month or each week. However, if you choose to join the clubs you mentioned, that would be hard for you, as you would require the training members receive during club periods, which are held at the same time as our club." Takeuchi replied.

"If it's alright with you, I'd like to talk it over with the head of the club of my choice. If I can arrange something with them, then yes, I can take the job. If not, I'm afraid I'd be joining their club." Natsumi replied.

Takeuchi nodded. "That is acceptable. Then, I'm expecting you at the gym today. If you don't show up, I'll ask Kasamatsu to find another student capable of filling the position."

"Alright," Natsumi agreed. "Thanks, Takeuchi-sensei."

He nodded again.

.,.,.,.,.

"So, soccer or swimming?" she asked Yukio a few minutes after her talk with Takeuchi. Yukio was taking a break from handing out flyers, and he was replaced by a rather eager Moriyama Yoshitaka.

"I don't know. Why do you ask?" he asked her as he took a bite from his sandwich.

"I'm thinking of a club to join," she replied.

"Speaking of clubs – " he was about to say, but was interrupted by her laugh.

"Takeuchi-sensei told me already, Yuki," she said, watching as he had a look of understanding.

"Oh. So, it's a 'no', then?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "Not really. I want to join either the soccer or swimming club, and if I can arrange something with the heads, then I can be the manager. But, if I can't, I'm staying with the club I like."

Yukio nodded.

"So… hey…" Natsumi glanced at him curiously, with a hint of annoyance. "Why recommend me?"

He shrugged. "I'm sure you know why."

"Still!" she hissed at him. "You can't make decisions for me without my consent or knowledge, _especially_ concerning this."

She huffed and glared lightly at the grass, hearing him sigh and ruffle her hair, saying, "I'm sorry, Natsu. You're right. I just thought it would be best for you."

She sighed, and leaned against his arm. "I know. I'm sorry, too."

He chuckled. "You had every right to be mad."

"I know. I just felt like I needed to say it."

"Alright."

.

.

.

"So… soccer or swimming?"

"I don't know. Just draw lots or something."

The sound of paper ripping and a pen going over the paper was heard.

"Open your hands, Yuki."

"Like this?"

"Yes."

"…Are you seriously using them as a box right now?"

"Yes."

She drew a piece of paper and opened it.

"Ah. Swimming."

.,.,.,.,.

The moderator of the swimming club was Ryuzaki Erika. She was a famous swimmer who got first place in _all_ her matches. She was also rather pretty, with her wavy caramel brown hair and sparkling green eyes. But she wasn't just talented and hot – she was also understanding.

This was something Natsumi came to experience first-hand when she explained her situation to Ryuzaki-sensei.

Ryuzaki laughed good-naturedly. "Funny. Another girl had the same problem when she also wanted to be in the art club."

"Oh?" Natsumi said interestedly. "How did you arrange it?"

"I talked to their moderator, Hoshino-sensei. We agreed that the girl would stay with the art club every regular club time, and I'd have her for three days of my choosing each week for a two hour practice session." Ryuzaki replied. "I can offer it to you, as well."

"Thank you so much, Ryuzaki-sensei!" Natsumi exclaimed.

Ryuzaki raised an eyebrow. "I said 'can'. I didn't say I would."

Natsumi's face fell, and Ryuzaki laughed.

"Oh, I was just kidding. Go on and join the basketball team." Ryuzaki said with a smile. "Those boys would need a woman to be the more responsible one."

"Thanks again, Ryuzaki-sensei!" Natsumi said, beaming at her before running off to tell her childhood friend of the news.

.,.,.,.,.

"Well, you got your wish. I'm joining you now," Natsumi told Yukio as they walked towards the gym. It was club time, and students ran about the hallways, some heading to their clubs and some desperately searching for their clubs.

"Great." Yukio said, giving her a smile. "You know, this could help."

Natsumi nodded. "Yeah, I realized that. Your decision was wise. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you."

Yukio waved it off as they neared the gym. "Alright, so Takeuchi-sensei won't stay the whole time. He has a meeting to attend, so let's review. What are you going to do again?"

"Once he gives his speech, I'll be overseeing the tryouts. I'll be monitoring each person's results. You will then get a fifteen-minute break, and in those fifteen minutes, I'll be organizing and analyzing the data. Based on the standards, I will then announce whoever gets in. The ones who were called would stay while the rest go off to search for new clubs. Then, practice begins immediately, and I get to choose how brutal it could be, but for now, I give a standard regime to see your potentials and current levels so I can take note of it and give it to sensei." Natsumi replied diligently.

Yukio nodded at her approvingly. "Good. We're here, so get ready for your hand to be sore."

"Already prepared for that," Natsumi chuckled as they went in and found a large number of freshmen in the gym, with the regulars sitting on the bleachers, and Takeuchi in front of them.

"Ah, you're here." Takeuchi said, as he looked at Natsumi. Yukio and Natsumi stood beside Takeuchi, who then said, "Right. Everyone, listen up. Again, I am Takeuchi Genta, your coach. Beside me are Kasamatsu Yukio, the captain, and Ogiwara Natsumi, the manager. They will be overseeing the tryouts today, as I have a meeting to get to. That is all."

He then gave them all a nod and left. They all looked at Yukio and Natsumi.

Natsumi's earned turned a little pink by the nervousness of being the center of attention. She coughed slightly and said, "R-Right. So… I'm Ogiwara Natsumi, the manager, and I'll be overseeing the tryouts along with Yu—uh, Kasamatsu Yukio, the captain. Please listen to our instructions well, and do the best that you can. Good luck."

"Freshmen, go here. Regulars, stay on the bleachers for a while longer." Yukio said as they did what they were told. "How many are they, Natsu?"

"Mm… wow, thirty." Natsumi hummed. "Divide into five lines please."

"We'll be giving you a set of exercises to do, and we'll see if you can keep up with them." Yukio explained. "You'll be rotating exercises every five minutes. Make adequate space for each person in your line, and we'll be starting now."

As they did the exercises, Natsumi recorded their progress per group and as individuals. Natsumi noted that the group Kise Ryota was in was doing remarkably well.

Once they were done with the exercises, Yukio put them on speed tests and whatnot while the regulars sat back on the bleachers. Natsumi made sure to record each and every detail that she noticed, because one missing variable would not produce an exact result.

Finally, the tryouts were finished, and they were given a fifteen minute break. They talked to each other about how well or how bad they think they did, how they find Kaijou to be, how much they want to get in, how cute the manager was, how – wait, what?

Natsumi's eyes snapped up to a group of boys who were near her. Did she just hear that right? They seemed to notice her gaze on them, and they gave her flirty smiles. She rolled her eyes and continued organizing her data into a notebook left for her by Takeuchi.

The fifteen minutes were quickly over, and she stood up, making everyone focus their attention on her. "Now, I'll be announcing who made it through and who didn't. And, should you want me to, I can tell you what data I've gotten from what I've seen, and tell you how to improve, I guess."

She had called nineteen names and the last one was, "Kise Ryota…"

Said blonde grinned and walked towards the bleachers, not seeing the stink eye Natsumi was giving him.

"Right. So for the rest of you, better luck next time? You all did well, don't worry. The only things you all needed to improve on, in general, are your stamina and a little of your ball handling techniques." Natsumi continued.

They nodded and headed out of the gym, leaving Natsumi with Yukio, the regulars, and the new recruits.

"Yuki, practice time?" she told him, not minding that she addressed him informally. There weren't a lot of people anymore, and because these people here would make up Kaijou's team, they were bound to know anyways. Although, the way she addressed him surprised quite a few.

"Tsumi-chan, are you dating Kasamatsu now?" Moriyama Yoshitaka, the self-proclaimed ladies' man of Kaijou, asked her with wide eyes.

Natsumi blinked. "Me and Yuki? Why does everyone keep asking us that?"

Kobori Koji chuckled. "Well, Tsumi-chan, you and the captain are quite close."

"We're just childhood friends," Natsumi pouted. "Ah, well. Yuki, you can start the practice now. I'll be here taking notes. Yippee."

As she took notes on them, she smirked. It was going to happen today…

…Kise and Yukio's one-on-one.

 **.,.,.,.,.**

 **Me: Did it seem like a legit tryout? Sorry if it was kind of dragging and boring. And did Kise and Kasamatsu's one-one-one really happen? I'm not sure if it did, but I just thought it would be a good way for Kise to start respecting Kasamatsu. Ah, well.**

 **Also, I was supposed to add their one-on-one here, but I thought that the chapter was getting kind of long, and since I would need more time to edit the match.**

 **What to expect in Chapter 5: Kise and Kasamatsu's one-on-one. Kise and Natsumi visit Seirin. Wait, why are they even going** _ **together**_ **?!**

 **See you next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Me: I am** _ **so**_ **sorry for the late update. I've been so busy with school and whatnot that I** _ **completely**_ **forgot to type up a new chapter. Sorry, guys! But summer's coming up after a month, so that means more time for me to concentrate on this.**

 **To RoastedPorkchop: Thanks! That's exactly what I was trying to go for, haha!**

 **To nglphil: Maybe~ I'm still thinking about it but who knows, right? Haha!**

 **To Guest: I will soon!**

 **To Lucy Jacob: Bahaha! Here it is! Yeah, I try to update often, but then, being a ninth grader is pretty stressful, haha!**

 **To Soaring Victory Star: Really? Thanks! All I had were my best friend's inputs, haha! I do try to make Natsumi relatable and not Mary-Sue-ish. I wanted a realistic Kise fanfic, you see. Also, are you sure she's his sister? ;) I'm sure you'll find out about her relationships with other people soon enough. Thanks again!**

 **To Niomi Nicole287: Haha! Yuki and Natsu are meant to have just a best friend relationship, and I try to make their time with each other like mine and my best friend's. I'm actually debating if I should add Kasamatsu as another romantic interest. Thanks for liking it!**

 **To Nicole NightLock: Here's the update! And yeah I didn't realize it at first, but wow. I named Natsu after Tsuna's box weapon, haha! Thanks for loving this!**

 **Lastly, thank you** _ **so**_ **much for the favorites (35) and follows (54)! I honestly didn't expect this much, so thank you!**

 **May I now present Chapter 5! Here's an extra long chapter for you guys!**

 **Chapter 5**

Natsumi was sitting on the bleachers, preparing a blank page of her notebook to take down data on the awaited one-on-one. She was the only one amongst the ones seated who knew it would happen – most definitely because she was the one who had thought of it, and because the ones involved were standing.

Kise was being his usual annoying self and bothering Kasamatsu. "Hi, Kasamatsu! I'm Kise Ryota-ssu! Nice to meet you! Ne, Kasamatsu, you're the captain, right?"

Kasamatsu's eye twitched as he gave the first year a sharp look. "That's 'Kasamatsu-senpai' to you. And yes, I am. What of it?"

"Well, I was just thinking…" Kise trailed off, smirking.

Natsumi almost laughed when she heard him speak. _Thinking? Kise Ryota was capable of thinking? My, oh, my. Would you look at that…_

"Maybe I should already be on the regulars. Kasamatsu, could you ask Ogiwara-chan to list my name down as a regular-ssu?" Kise continued.

His statement had caught the attention of all the people there, and he had received looks of envy, contempt, and annoyance.

"No."

That one word that had come out of Kasamatsu's mouth had surprised Kise. First, Ogiwara Natsumi denies him, and now this? Why were people suddenly denying him? No one was supposed to deny him. He was _Kise Ryota_ , for God's sake.

"Haha, excuse me, did you just tell me 'no'?" Kise said.

Kasamatsu rolled his eyes. "Yes, you heard me. No. Would you like me to say it to you in another language for you to comprehend me?"

Kise shook his head, his smirk returning. "But, Kasamatsu, I'm a member of the _Generation of Miracles_. Surely, you've heard of it? I probably beat you before when you were in middle school, but I suppose I just don't remember it that much. Naturally, someone like me would be granted a spot in the regulars in the snap of the fingers, right?"

It was the last straw for Kasamatsu. He kicked Kise, who cried out and fell to the ground. He growled, glaring at Kasamatsu and stood up. "What was that for?!"

Kasamatsu gave Kise a chilling glare. "For the last time, it's 'Kasamatsu-senpai' to you. I don't need nor want to repeat myself."

"And _for the last time_ , I'm from the Generation of Miracles!" Kise retorted, rudely mimicking Kasamatsu.

Natsumi frowned at this escalating argument, and wondered if she should step it. She shook her head and decided not to. _Yuki will solve this little situation. He doesn't need me for this._

"I'm your captain, and no matter how good you may be, you're still just a _freshman_. You don't know how we operate at Kaijo." Kasamatsu countered.

"I don't care about that hierarchy. I'm better than all of you, anyways." Kise scoffed.

Kasamatsu's foot twitched, as if he wanted to kick that brat again, which Natsumi knew was what he was feeling at the moment. However, he decided against it, stating, "Natsumi, you got what you wanted."

She perked up, knowing where this was heading. The other members were confused and wondering where this was going.

"Would notes be needed for this?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "No need. This isn't a match. This is me straightening him out."

"Oh? Is this the match Ogiwara-chan's been hinting at?" Kise laughed dryly. "Perfect. Here, you'll see just how good I am."

"Your terms?" Kasamatsu asked gruffly.

"Whoever has the most points in five minutes." Kise responded confidently.

"Challenge accepted."

Kobori Koji, one of the regulars, had been assigned by Natsumi to be their referee for the match. While the rest of the members were asked to step outside for a while, Natsumi went over to Kasamatsu.

"Oi, even if you lose, leave a scar on him." Natsumi told him with a smile.

Kasamatsu raised an eyebrow. "An emotional one, huh?"

Natsumi nodded. "It's probably the best way for him to see. He won't change immediately. I know that, but perhaps this would allow him to at least stop being over-confident."

Kasamatsu's lips slightly tilted upwards. "I'd better make a good speech then."

"All your speeches are good." Natsumi giggled as she sat next to Kobori, legs crossed on the chair.

Kasamatsu and Kise met at the center of the court, the former's eyes filled with a burning fire.

"I like that expression." Kise muttered. "I especially like the expression after I win."

"That winning thing of yours is debatable," Kasamatsu said, hearing the blonde's words. "Winning isn't all about points."

"We'll see about that."

And then, it was time for the tip-off. Kise, being 6'2, had easily overpowered the 5'10 Kasamatsu, and had dribbled the ball towards the hoops. Kasamatsu growled and went for the ball, jumping as Kise had aimed for the basket. He was able to touch the ball, poking it, to be more precise, which allowed the ball to evade the hoop.

Kise's eyes widened. It had been a long time since someone had blocked his shots. _Interesting_.

"Eh, I suppose you have _something_ , Kasamatsu." Kise started. "But that something won't be enough."

He easily grabbed the ball, dribbling it fast and copying Kasamatsu's earlier move, scoring a point for himself. "Your moves are mine. I can copy them, so I get a feel of how you work, Kasamatsu."

Kasamatsu gritted his teeth, getting the ball and dribbling it towards the basket. Kise had not followed him, giving him a two-second lead. Kasamatsu noticed this, and growled.

Kise was giving him a handicap. _How dare that brat act so condescendingly?_

He then found himself blocked by Kise, a confident smirk on his face. "Did you really think I'd let you score again, Kasamatsu?"

Kasamatsu looked for an opening, and made a crossover before getting around Kise's screen. He shot the ball, but it was blocked by Kise, who yawned. "Is that it? That's all you've got? And I thought you were good."

Kasamatsu then stole the ball from a surprised Kise, who quickly followed after him. Kasamatsu shuffled, fooling Kise who thought the former was going to continue to run. They were at the three-point line, and Kasamatsu's footwork made Kise move forward. This gave Kasamatsu the opportunity to shoot a 'J' from the line, earning himself three points.

Kise's face was filled with disbelief and a fancy ringtone was heard.

Natsumi shut her phone, a smile on her face. "And there goes five minutes. Funny how time flies, huh? Yuki wins by three points."

Kise scoffed. "There was a time limit."

"Those were your terms." Natsumi told him.

"It was nothing serious." Kise defended himself, trying to make himself believe that he did not lose.

"You're right."

Her words startled him. He had expected her to make fun of him, something he knew she had been waiting to do. Why was she not doing so, then?

"It wasn't an official match. This isn't even a match, remember?" Kasamatsu had reminded him, driving his fist through the freshman's skull. "This was supposed to teach you."

"Teach me…?" Kise now sounded like a child who had done wrong, but continued to deny that it was his fault.

"Teams work together. They're driven by the same goal, and help each other in order to reach it. They cover for each other's weaknesses, and improve their strengths to be of more help to the team." Natsumi said.

"Kaijo is a team, and _not_ a one-man show. We do things _together_ and for _one another_. We don't play with our opponents – we treat them with respect, no matter how good or bad they are. Teams work hard, no matter how incompetent each or one of the members may be. All the people in Kaijo's team – us second and third years – have worked their _asses_ off to achieve what we have achieved. We were not blessed with natural talent, but we worked to get what we deserve. If not for us, would Kaijou have won what it has won? We get things done by working hard – not by showing off or playing our enemies." Kasamatsu continued.

Team. Help. Together. Working hard. _Respect_.

These were ideals that countered what Teiko had instilled in him. He had to do everything in his power to win, even if he had to work alone. Truth be told, it was better for him to work alone. He did not have to worry about passing to anyone else. He could have it all.

"I know Teiko teaches that to win is everything, but sometimes, winning isn't what's important." Natsumi said. "Kaijo is what it is _because_ of the players – the players who continue to hone their skills for the benefit of the _team_."

Was winning not that important to Kaijo, or was his interpretation of her words wrong?

Kise contemplated on it for a while, thinking of how his confidence had actually hindered him from seeing what was right. Yes, he had technically lost because he thought that he could stall and just play Kasamatsu. The time limit had slipped out of his mind – he had only made a limit because he felt like saying it. But, he also felt like he had learned something from the match.

He remembered how Nijimura-senpai had always wanted the team dynamics to work well back in Teiko. He actually worked well with Kurokocchi before. _Before_. That was the key word. He wasn't the same as before. He could go off on his own.

But he supposed he could see where Kasamatsu and Natsumi were coming from. He had felt that way before, so he knew how they felt. Kaijo was in the stage where teamwork worked. He was at Kaijo, so he had to abide by the principles.

"Kaijo is _not_ Teiko."

For some reason, she was able to read his thoughts and voice out what he did not want to admit.

Yes, he could see why they valued determination and hard work. But that did not mean that he would play as a team. He would still try to go alone, but he supposed that it would be best to settle at least one issue.

Besides, no one had ever told him off like that before.

"Ok, I understand, Kasamatsu-senpai, Ogiwara-chan."

If they were surprised by his sudden change in demeanor, they did not show it.

Natsumi gave a half-smile, as Kobori called back the other members. "Well, now that that's settled, let's get started on practice!"

.,.,.,.,.

When practice ended, Natsumi placed her notebook back in her bag and zipped the latter up. Slinging it over her shoulder, she waited for Kasamatsu outside the gates of the school, only to be surprised that he was there already, with Kise Ryota clinging to him like a lost child.

"For the last time, I don't want to go with you!" Kasamatsu growled at Kise, who whined.

"But senpai, I need to see Kurokocchi!" Kise wailed. He then spotted Natsumi walking towards them and ran up to her like an overly excited child. "Ogiwaracchi, can you come with me to Seirin? Kasamatsu-senpai said that we'd have a practice match with them tomorrow!"

Seirin.

Kuroko.

Of course she wanted to go, but did it really have to be with him?

She glanced at Kasamatsu, who shrugged, saying, "Just be back before dinner."

She nodded. "Alright. See you at home, then."

He walked away, lazily waving his hand in the air.

Kise blinked and wondered about this certain interaction. "Ne, Ogiwaracchi, do you and senpai live together?"

"Sometimes," she answered truthfully. Now that he had begun to respect Kasamatsu, she supposed it wouldn't hurt to be civil towards him. "Shall we, then?"

He nodded eagerly as they walked to Seirin.

 _Tetsu, how are you?_

.,.,.,.,.

When they arrived at Seirin, Kise was greeted by the squeals of several fangirls, while Natsumi was given odd looks and glares. She rolled her eyes, not surprised at what she had received.

"Look, just ask one of them where the gym is," she told him, as he signed one of the fans' notebooks.

"Ok-ssu!" Kise responded cheerfully, doing so. "Ne, can you tell us where the basketball team meets?"

One of the fans nodded, blushing at being asked, motioning towards the gym. "I-It's over there, Kise-kun!"

"Thank you-ssu!" he replied, giving them a smile that made them faint.

Natsumi watched the interaction blankly. "Huh, at least that got them to shut up."

As they walked in the direction the fan pointed them to, Kise asked, "Ne, Ogiwaracchi, you're awfully nice to me now. What brought this up?"

"I don't like you because for one, you're rude. But when you respected Yuki, I supposed that being civil to you wouldn't hurt. That is, as long as you continue to respect him, and that you're being sincere about it." Natsumi replied to him. "Speaking of which, what's with the '-cchi'?"

Kise grinned brightly. "I add '-cchi' to the people I respect-ssu!"

"Ah," Natsumi let out. She wouldn't open up to him nor be close to him, but if he really did respect her, being nice… wouldn't hurt, right?

"Here we are," she said, hearing the familiar squeak of basketball shoes. She flinched a little, remembering a certain brunette that popped into her head.

"Then, let's go in-ssu!" Kise exclaimed, grabbing her arm and dragging her inside.

She expected herself to instinctively pull her arm back, but why didn't she?

The Seirin players were practicing hard. She could see that. Despite being a relatively new school, she knew they were taking this seriously. She appreciated that.

Her eyes zeroed in on Kuroko, who passed the ball skillfully, surprising his teammates. She then noticed a redhead who had caught the ball, making a turnaround and dunking to score a point.

 _Huh, I guess they didn't realize it until now – his misdirection._

She and Kise sat on the elevated platform of the gym.

"Ne, you see that blue haired boy over there playing? He's Kurokocchi, and he's my best friend!" Kise told her.

She raised an eyebrow at that. All she could remember was Kuroko's best friend was Aomine Daiki, and not this sparkly person. "I know Tetsu."

It was Kise's turn to be shocked. _How in the world did she know about Kurokocchi? And why was she calling him the way Aominecchi used to?_ "How—"

Before he could finish his question, squeals interrupted him and he and Natsumi glanced at the crowd of fangirls that had accumulated behind them.

Natsumi whistled. _If fangirls could sneak up on us like this, they could probably become good ninjas one day._

However, this also attracted the attention of Seirin's team, who stared at the pair with wide eyes.

Aida Riko did not expect two outsiders to be in the gym, and for one of those outsiders to be very, _very_ familiar. "Huh? What? What are all these people doing here?" Were they here for the reason she thought of?

Kise smiled nervously. "Uh, I didn't mean for this to happen."

Hyuga Junpei was equally surprised. "That's…"

"What is the Generation of Miracles' Kise Ryota doing here?" Riko wondered out loud. That was when she noticed the girl next to him – a brown haired girl with boobs bigger than hers. "Ugh…"

Kise signed another paper shoved near him as Natsumi rolled her eyes.

"Make this quick, Kise," she grumbled.

Kuroko bowed towards the both of them, a small smile forming on his face upon seeing Natsumi. "It's good to see you two again."

Kise smiled at his former teammate. "Good to see you."

"It's been a while, Tetsu," Natsumi smiled at him.

The Seirin team stared at Kuroko, and then at Kise and Natsumi. They knew that he and Kise knew each other, what with both of them coming from Teiko. But who was that chick?

"Kise Ryota..." Hyuga let out with awe.

Kise smiled apologetically to Seirin's team. "Sorry, really. Um... Do you think you can wait five minutes?"

As he signed papers, Natsumi jumped down and headed towards Kuroko, capturing him in a tight hug. "Geez, you never meet up with me anymore, Tetsu."

"My apologies, Natsumi-chan. I was busy," Kuroko replied, responding to her hug.

When she let go, Seirin's team was looking at her curiously. "What is it? Is there something on my face?"

Koganei Shinji shook his head. "No, it's just that… who are you exactly?"

"The name's Ogiwara Natsumi. Nice to meet you, guys," she said lazily, crossing her arms.

"How do you know Kuroko?" Kagami Taiga asked her.

"I'm his childhood friend – one of them, at least," she replied. "I'm not from Teiko, though, so I'm not… _close_ to Kise as Tetsu is."

"Natsumi-chan, how's Kaijo?" Kuroko asked her.

Natsumi let out a sigh and laughed. "Well, I'm their manager, now."

Riko and Hyuga's eyebrows rose at that. If she was their manager, then was she good?

"Unfortunately, I have to deal with blondie over there, but the job's good." Natsumi continued, gesturing to the model who was almost done autographing notebooks. "You know, I really wish he'd go faster. I don't want to get home late for dinner. You know how Yuki is."

Kuroko nodded. "How has he been doing?"

"He's fine. He actually helped set blondie straight and blondie's started to respect him now," Natsumi smiled.

Before anymore words could be exchanged, Kise had finished and was now walking towards them, stopping beside Natsumi, hands in his pockets. "There."

"So, w-what are you doing here?" Hyuga asked Kise.

"When I heard our next opponent was Seirin, I remembered Kurokocchi went here, so I thought Ogiwaracchi and I would come say hi. We were the best of friends in middle school." Kise replied happily.

Kuroko looked at him blankly. "Not any more than anyone else."

Kise cried comically, rubbing his crocodile tears with his right sleeve. "You're so mean!"

Furihata Koki then brought out a basketball magazine, opening it to a page that featured Kise. "Kise Ryota. Though he started basketball his second year of middle school, his exceptional physical ability and sense got him on the Teiko team as a regular in a heartbeat. While he has less experience than the other four, he's a rapidly improving all-rounder."

Hyuga looked impressed. "Since your second year?"

Kise waved it off, his derp face on. "That article exaggerated quite a bit. I'm glad to be called part of the Generation of Miracles, but I'm the worst of the bunch. " Scratching his head, he continued, "They bullied me and Kurokocchi for it all the time."

"That never happened to me." Kuroko commented.

Kise fake-cried again. "What? It was just me?" He then sensed something to his left, where Natsumi was standing. He then gently pushed her aside and caught a basketball in his left hand. "Ow! What was that for? You could have hit Ogiwaracchi!"

"Kagami(-kun)!" Hyuga and Riko reprimanded the redhead at the same time.

Natsumi's eyes widened. Did Kise Ryota just save her? Why did he do that?

"Sorry for interrupting your little reunion. Don't tell me you came all the way here just to greet us." Kagami smirked, motioning with his hand for Kise to come closer. "Why don't you play with me a little, pretty boy?"

Kise looked bored. "What? I don't know if I'm ready." He held his chin with his left hand, balancing the basketball in his right arm. "But I just… Fine, let's do it. I have to thank you for that display." He then tossed the ball back to Kagami, who caught it.

"Unbelievable." Riko sighed.

"This could be bad." Kuroko told her.

Riko was surprised that he was suddenly there, letting out a high-pitched 'Huh?'.

Natsumi sighed at this twist of events. She needed – wanted – to get home soon. Otou-san was ordering pizza today, and she didn't want her 'brothers' finishing all the good parts.

Her thinking was interrupted when Kise called out to her. "Ogiwaracchi, do you mind if you hold on to this for a while?"

She then felt soft fabric being thrust into her arms, as she regarded his grey top curiously. Kise then walked to the court, with Kagami in front of him. Kise rolled up his sleeves as Kagami had his back to the net. Kise then dribbled the ball with his left hand, copying what Kagami had done earlier.

Riko was surprised by this.

"He learns plays as soon as he sees them and makes them his own." Kuroko explained to her, making her frown. She knew this wasn't simple imitation.

Kagami gritted his teeth. It was ridiculous. He had just done that, but... Kise's hand had the ball and was now close to dunking.

"Kagami's on fire, too!" one of the Seirin members commented.

Kagami had touched the ball but Kise had dunked it.

Kagami fell on his butt while Kise landed smoothly, leaving Seirin shocked.

"This is the Generation of Miracles..." he said to Kuroko and Natsumi. "Kuroko, your friend's way too good."

"I don't know that person. " Kuroko said.

Kawahara looked confused. "Huh?"

"To be honest, I may have underestimated him until just now. It's only been a few months since I left them, but the Generation of Miracles has improved far more quickly than I expected." Kuroko stated.

Kise put his left hand behind his head. "I don't know about this."

Kagami perked up.

"After something so disappointing, I can't just leave now." Kise continued, making Natsumi frown. She had an idea on where this was leading to, as she watched him walk back to the others. "Give us Kurokocchi."

Kise then turned to Kuroko, saying, "Come join us. Let's play basketball together again."

Seirin was surprised. Would their teammate do that? Would he agree to his old friend's request?

"I seriously respect you, Kurokocchi." Kise looked worried as he continued speaking. "It's a waste of your talent to stay here. What do you say?"

Kuroko bowed to him. "I am honored to hear you say that. I must respectfully decline your offer."

Kise was shocked. Ogiwaracchi, Kasamatsu-senpai, and now Kurokocchi? Oh, come on! "That doesn't make any sense. Besides, this isn't like you. Winning was everything. Why didn't you go somewhere better?"

Kuroko responded immediately, as if he knew Kise would ask this question. "My thinking has changed since then. More importantly, I made a promise to Kagami-kun. I told him we'd beat you, the Generation of Miracles."

Kise looked annoyed by this. "It really isn't like you to joke around like that."

Kagami laughed from behind Kise. "What are you doing? I was gonna say that, Kuroko."

Kuroko then told Kise, "I still have no sense of humor. I'm serious."

Kise pursed his lips. "Alright, then."

Natsumi then yawned. "Sorry to break this up, but can we go home now? I don't want to hear Yuki nagging at me for missing dinner."

"Hai, hai~!" Kise said cheerfully, as if the earlier events did not happen. "I suppose I'll see you at the practice match, then, Kurokocchi."

Kuroko nodded.

Natsumi then gave Kuroko one last hug and ruffled his hair. "Visit some time, ok? I'm sure he'd like to see you."

Kuroko's face darkened. "I don't think so, Natsumi-chan."

"I'm his family, Tetsu. I know how he feels." Natsumi said. "Think about it, alright?"

"I will, Natsumi-chan." Kuroko said.

Satisfied, Natsumi bowed to Seirin's players. "We'll be seeing you tomorrow, then. Bye!"

Kise trailed after her as they left the gym and headed to their homes.

.,.,.,.,.

As they walked down the streets, Natsumi glanced at Kise, who was, though not obvious, bothered by Kuroko declining him. To her, he seemed like a puppy who had been denied his favorite treat.

She sighed, saying, "It's his choice, you know."

Kise glanced at her, as she continued. "You all went to different schools to make things interesting, right? You have no complaints about the others, so why Tetsu?"

"Kurokocchi is a shadow," Kise reasoned.

"And does it not make things even more interesting if he was not supporting any of you? Would it not be more fun to see him play with his new light?" Natsumi told him.

Kise then smirked. "Are you trying to comfort me, Ogiwaracchi?"

Natsumi's lips tilted upwards. "It's me returning the favor."

 **.,.,.,.,.**

 **Me: Whew. I hope this chapter was to your liking, especially with that teensy bit of Kise x Natsu at the end! I've posted the update schedule for my fanfics on my profile. Feel free to check it out!**

 **So, here's some explanations on this chapter.**

 **Kise's sudden change in demeanor: The match was technically private, with the exception of Kobori being there. It was not even considered a match by Kasamatsu, and it was only a way for them to 'educate' Kise on what he was doing wrong. Because it was sort of a way of taking his feelings into consideration (the fact that it would have, technically, been his first time to lose), he respected them for it, especially for not mocking him afterwards.**

 **Natsumi's niceness to Kise: Her problem with Kise has several contributing factors, but his lack of respect for his seniors was one of the major ones. Because he had changed that, she finds it as a baby-step towards Kise changing, so she figured that he at least deserved something for that. Plus, if he was making an effort to change, she should at least make an effort, too. Natsumi is a believer of Equivalent Exchange. (Yes, FMA reference, haha.)**

 **Natsumi's returning the favor: Because of said belief in Equivalent Exchange, for saving her a while ago, she wants to do something for Kise, as well. So, she tries to cheer him up, somehow, or at least make him see reason. Of course, she wonders why he saved her, but she'd ask him about it some other time.**

 **And that's that. Review please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Me: Hi, guys! Sorry for the late update. It's been two days since I was supposed to update, but some stuff kept me from typing and posting the chapter.**

 **Thanks for the faves and follows! I was happy to see them! ^_^**

 **Anyways, here's chapter six and I made sure it was longer this time, teehee.**

 **(Also, I'm not sure if I made things go too fast here :P)**

 **.,.,.,.,.,.**

 **Chapter 6**

When Kasamatsu woke up that day, stomach filled with last night's pizza, he saw his family sleeping around in his room. His dad was snoring and lying door on the floor, using two empty pizza boxes as his pillow. Yuki had his head on Kyo's stomach, and Reiji was drooling on Yuki's legs. He let out a soft chuckle before rolling onto his other side, raising his hand to poke the person sleeping next to him, only, she wasn't there.

He blinked. _Where would that lazy girl go at this time?_

Kasamatsu tended to wake up early in the morning to do some light stretches. Sometimes, when his father was away and Natsumi was still in dreamland, he would be the one cooking. On the other hand, Natsumi could never be bothered to wake up early no matter what, even if the house on fire. She slept like a log, which made Kasamatsu wonder where on earth she was.

Bathroom? Nope. Kitchen? Nope. Outside? Nope.

He scratched his head and frowned, pulling out his cellphone from his pocket and sending her a text. ' _Where the hell are you? ~Yukio'_

One minute. Two. Five.

A tick mark appeared on his head as he grumbled and got dressed in his uniform, grabbing his bag and leaving for Maji Burger. He ordered a take-out, two large fries and one cheeseburger for himself. He thanked the cashier after paying and walked away to school, hoping that that troublesome girl was there.

He arrived at his classroom, and it was just as he thought – he was the first one there. Grumbling again, he let out, "Well, who else would be here at this time?"

After placing his stuff on his table, he headed out of the classroom and walked to Natsumi's classroom, sliding open the door and opened his mouth to lecture her. She wasn't there. Before he could start ranting out loud, his cellphone vibrated and he had seen a reply from her.

' _Oh, hi, Yuki! I'm at the swimming pool at school. Sorry for the late reply, but I was having a race against Haruno. Remember her? Yeah, that annoying chick back from middle school, the one that used to have a crush on – Forget I said anything! Anyways, I've got swimming practice right now and after school. Hehe! See you later! ~Natsumi'_

He blinked. _Right. She wanted to join the club._ And he realized. _I woke up early to find her, and she was here at school. Well, then._

Clicking his tongue, he headed back to his classroom and ate his burger. He'd lecture her later.

.,.,.,.,.

Natsumi was grinning as her hand touched the wall. She rose from the water, and saw that her opponent had just reached the wall she was at. She had beaten Haruno, just like before.

"Good job, girls, and congratulations on winning, Natsumi." Erika told them as she made notes on her clipboard. "That was a good trial. You've both got what it takes to be in Teiko's swimming club. We'll have another practice session afterschool for an hour, and then another one at the end of the week afterschool for two hours. You'll be introduced to the club manager later and the other members of the team. You can go now."

As the coach sat down on the bleachers and reviewed her notes, the two girls in the water rose and headed towards the showers. They didn't walk together. The other girl had roughly brushed past Natsumi's shoulder and stomped towards the shower area. Natsumi let out a chuckle. She couldn't help it – the other girl's reaction was amusing.

By the time Natsumi had reached the showers, the other girl was almost done. Natsumi had taken off her black swimsuit and relaxed under the hot water from the shower. Neither girl made any move to initiate conversation. When the other girl had finished, she wrapped herself up in a towel and headed towards the locker room to dress up.

Natsumi sighed when she finished, covering her body with a black towel and heading towards the locker room, as well. The other girl was long gone, making Natsumi roll her eyes as she got out her school uniform. She wore it quickly and dried her hair with a smaller towel after placing the larger one in her locker. She then headed towards Kasamatsu's classroom, knowing that he most likely had food with him. She opened her cellphone to check the time, and saw that she had one unread message.

' _Where the hell are you? ~Yukio'_

She laughed as she picked up her pace, walking up the stairs, sending her reply. _'Oh, hi, Yuki! I'm at the swimming pool at school. Sorry for the late reply, but I was having a race against Haruno. Remember her? Yeah, that annoying chick back from middle school, the one that used to have a crush on – Forget I said anything! Anyways, I've got swimming practice right now and after school. Hehe! See you later! ~Natsumi'_

As she was busy sending her message, she didn't notice her surroundings and bumped into someone, before feeling herself fall backwards. She let out a squeak as whoever she had bumped into caught her immediately, with one hand around her waist and another on her arm.

She inhaled deeply, blinking. _That was terrifying._ As soon as she was steadied on another step on the stairs, she let out a short breath of relief. "Thanks a lot for – Kise?"

The moment she looked up to see just who she was thanking, she was surprised to see her blonde seatmate with eyes wide like hers.

"Maa, Ogiwaracchi should be more careful." Kise told her.

She nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for that."

"No problem." Kise grinned at her, with flowers appearing in the background.

Natsumi's lips tilted upwards slightly. "You seem to be saving me a lot, huh? First the basketball, and now this…"

"Maybe I'm meant to be your superman, Ogiwaracchi~" Kise said playfully.

Natsumi laughed. "Yeah, right."

And then she stopped laughing. Her eyebrows furrowed and Kise looked at her curiously. Why was she laughing with Kise as if they were old friends? She was – she hated him. She _hated_ him. She can't just laugh with him like this. Why was she fine with this? Why was she acting so casually with him?

"—cchi, Ogiwaracchi!"

She blinked. "Sorry?"

"Were you that scared when you almost fell? I've been calling you for a while, but you didn't mind me." Kise pouted, close to crying exaggeratedly.

Natsumi shook her head. "Nah, it's nothing. I'll be going now. Thanks, again."

Kise waved it off and headed down the stairs.

Natsumi was about to continue going up, but groaned, making Kise look up at her from where he was.

"Ogiwaracchi?"

She wasn't supposed to do this. No way was she going to do this. She was not going to – oh, forget it. "Oi, wanna grab some food at Yuki's classroom? Think of it as my thanks for saving me back there."

Kise beamed up at her, and for a moment, he seemed to resemble a golden retriever with its tail wagging, expecting his dog treats from his master. Natsumi shivered slightly. _Creepy thought there._

"Yeah, sure!"

.,.,.,.,.

Kasamatsu looked back and forth at the two freshman in front of his table, who were pigging out on the French fries that were meant for him and Natsumi, and _definitely_ not for _Kise_. "What's he doing here?"

"I invited him." Natsumi said as she gulped down her food, grabbing some more fries.

"I thought you hated him." Kasamatsu deadpanned at her, eyeing the blonde weirdly. Said blonde was currently acting like a puppy towards Natsumi, and Kasamatsu didn't know whether to be creeped out or not.

"I do." Her words shot an arrow towards puppy-Kise, who whined and pouted. "But I owe him." The arrow was removed and puppy-Kise started wagging his tail and beaming at Natsumi. Kasamatsu rubbed his eyes and looked at Kise again, who was now a blonde teenager eating French fries with his hands, and he was not a puppy. _That was an odd thing to see._

Kasamatsu wondered curiously what kind of favor Kise had done for his best friend, but shrugged and finished his burger. "You guys better hurry up. The bell's bound to ring soon."

"We know." Natsumi said, mouth full of fries. It earned her a smack from both Kise and Kasamatsu.

"Finish your food first," they said at the same time, making them look at each other in surprise.

Natsumi looked at the both of them. "Wow. I see a future for you two."

Kise looked at her curiously while Kasamatsu lifted a fist. "Come again?"

Natsumi smirked. "I said you're beautiful."

Kasamatsu snorted. "Watch it, or I'll kick you off of the bed."

Natsumi's jaw dropped. "You would do no such thing."

"Oh, but I would." Kasamatsu raised an eyebrow at her.

Natsumi pouted. "Then, I'll sleep in Yuki and Reiji's room."

"I'll make them lock the door."

"Who are you to tell them that?"

"Their brother."

"Touché."

Kise tilted his head. "I knew Ogiwaracchi sometimes stayed at Kasamatsu-senpai's place, but you sleep in the same bed? Are you together?"

That earned him two punches in the head.

"Wah~ So mean." Kise pouted, massaging his aching head.

"Anyways, how was your swimming thing this morning?" Kasamatsu asked her before flicking her forehead. "And next time, tell me your schedule or leave me a note. You're lucky I'm no longer in the mood to lecture you."

"Sir, yes, sir." Natsumi saluted him.

"You're in the swimming club, too?" Kise asked her curiously and she nodded.

"She'd probably become a regular soon. She's really good." Kasamatsu complimented her, making her pout.

"Maa, I'm not that good, Yuki, but thanks," she said. "Hey, did you know Haruno's in the same club, too?"

Kasamatsu's eyebrow rose. "Yeah, you said so in your text, you know."

Natsumi nodded. "I had to race against her this morning."

"And you won." Kasamatsu said confidently.

Natsumi smirked. "Funny how you know."

"Who's Haruno?" Kise asked.

"She and her team competed against mine in competitions back in middle school. They usually placed her in my races because she saw me as her rival." Natsumi shrugged.

"Natsumi always beat her, even if she wasn't the winner of the race. Her times would just be faster than Haruno's, and the girl kept throwing tantrums because of it." Kasamatsu pinched the bridge of his nose. "She was really loud – louder than Hayakawa."

Natsumi flinched when she remembered those times. "Thankfully, her tantrums aren't loud anymore. She just stomped away a while ago."

"That's good to know."

The moment they finished the fries, the bell rang and they hurriedly ran to their classroom, making Kasamatsu let out a sigh of relief. _Thank Kami they're gone._

Beside him, his seatmate, the popular Uryu Misaki, giggled. "You enjoy their company, Kasamatsu-kun. Don't you?"

"I guess." He nodded absentmindedly until he realized who he was talking to. He let out a stammer as his face reddened, making Misaki let out another giggle. Around them, Kasamatsu's male classmates were jealous because _Uryu Misaki_ was talking to him, but were appeased by the fact that he couldn't talk to a girl (save for Natsumi) to save his life.

.,.,.,.,.

When Natsumi and Kise entered the room, their homeroom teacher wasn't there yet, making them relax as they sat on their seats, talking about Kuroko.

"Kurokocchi and I used to go to Maji Burger with the rest of our teammates. The fries still taste good." Kise said, resting his chin on his hand as he spoke to his seatmate.

Natsumi agreed with him. "Tetsu and I used to go there, too. We usually grabbed the milkshakes. I always got the chocolate one while he got the –"

"Vanilla."

She was surprised but let out a smile. _Even if they're not teammates anymore and in different schools…_ "Yeah. He does. No matter where we go, even to the nearby convenience store, he always gets the –"

"Popsicles?" Kise chuckled when she was surprised again.

"You always seem to know what I'm about to say." Natsumi looked at him with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile. _Even if they're estranged and this brat says he plays alone…_

"Kurokocchi's my best friend. I should know-ssu~" Kise beamed at the thought of Kuroko.

Without him knowing, Natsumi gave him a proud smile. She was seeing a better side of him, it seems.

 _He still cares about his friends._

.,.,.,.,.

Unknown to the two who were talking, their classmates, who were watching them curiously, had noticed their entrance and the way they seemed relaxed with each other's presence. Some males groaned because they were hoping to ask Natsumi out, while some laughed about Kasamatsu's reaction if Kise and Natsumi ended up dating. The females, on the other hand, were annoyed, especially the three members of Kise's fanclub present.

"Who does she think she is, talking to Kise-kun like that?" a girl named Ayaka pouted.

"I know! Kise-kun belongs to the fan club! What a flirt!" Ayaka's friend Kisa added with a frown.

The girl sitting in front of them, Mei, the president of Kise's fanclub, looked at Natsumi darkly. "And what do we do with girls who flirt with Kise-kun?"

Ayaka and Kisa smirked.

.,.,.,.,.

Lunch time came around and what used to be a table for the regulars and Natsumi, became a table that had Kise in it. He and Natsumi had been assigned to be partners for an English project and were talking about it all the way to the cafeteria, and they found themselves sitting at the same table. Natsumi sat at the far left of the table, with Kasamatsu beside her, and Moriyama beside him. In front of Natsumi was Kise, followed by Kobori and Hayakawa Mitsuhiro, a loudmouthed regular with bushy eyebrows.

As Kise and Natsumi continued talking about their project while eating their food, Moriyama chuckled. "Aww, are they getting along now? Ah, young love."

"You're not much older than them." Kobori commented with a small smile.

A tick mark appeared on Kasamatsu's forehead. "Oh, hell no! She's too young to date!"

"And who are you, her father?" Moriyama laughed.

Kasamatsu muttered curse words at Moriyama, who continued laughing.

"Natsumi and Kise a(r)e dating?!" Hayakawa let out loud, earning them the attention of everyone in the cafeteria, including Kise's fangirls, who were glaring murderously at the oblivious brunette.

"Shut up, you idiot!" Kasamatsu smacked him on the head. "Do you really want to die so soon?!"

"What a(r)e you ta(l)king about?" Hayakawa asked obliviously as Moriyama pointed to the bloodthirsty fangirls. "Oh! I see now!"

"Do you really?" Kasamatsu deadpanned as he chewed on his food.

"—so maybe we should do the project at your house?" Natsumi asked Kise, who nodded.

"Alright, no problem-ssu~" he said cheerfully. "Maybe you could meet my sisters, too!"

That earned Moriyama's attention. "Sisters? You have sisters, Kise?!"

Kise nodded at the ladies' man. "Yeah. Two."

Moriyama's nose started bleeding, and he used his sleeve to wipe off the blood. "What are their names?!"

"Ryoko-nee and Kyoko-nee."

"Ah~, Ryoko-chan and Kyoko-chan, my dears!" Moriyama flipped his hair. "Perhaps I should come, too?"

"You'd just disturb them." Kasamatsu rolled his eyes. "Let them do their project."

Kobori and Hayakawa nodded.

"He'd just keep f(l)i(r)ting with them, too!" Hayakawa laughed.

"Why you little-!" Moriyama started chasing Hayakawa around the table and eventually out of the cafeteria.

"Children these days." Kasamatsu shook his head.

"I know, right?" Kobori nodded.

.,.,.,.,.

"You ready?"

"Yeah."

"And she is?"

"At the table."

"Grab her."

"Yes, ma'am!"

.,.,.,.,.

As Kise and Natsumi finished making their plans (and their food), they were just talking about random things when a girl tapped Natsumi on the shoulder.

Natsumi blinked. "Ah, Ayaka-san, right?"

Said girl blushed. "Yes. Um, Natsumi-san, you're good at English. Do you mind helping me with something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Ah, it's in the rooftop with my friends. I wrote it down on my notebook and I was going to ask sensei, but sensei wasn't in the teacher's lounge." Ayaka told her.

Natsumi nodded. "Alright." Turning to the guys, she said, "Don't wait up for me, okay? See ya!"

She then followed Ayaka up to the rooftop, climbing the steps until they reached the door. Ayaka let Natsumi pass first, and the moment the latter stepped outside the door, both her arms were grabbed tightly and a potato sack was shoved on her head.

She tried breaking through their holds, but two – or three – against one was too much. She struggled to move away from them, but only ended up tripping and falling to the ground, letting out a shriek, but was relieved to know she simply fell on the concrete. Unfortunately, she felt a stinging sensation on her knee and clicked her tongue. She felt the grip on her arms loosen and she hurriedly removed the potato sack to see three of her classmates in front of her, two beside her on the ground, and Ayaka standing up with her arms crossed.

Natsumi stood up and stepped backwards as the other girls stood beside Ayaka. With a drawling voice, she said, "Mei-san, Ayaka-san, Kisa-san, what do you want?"

"Stay away from Kise-kun, you whore." Mei growled at her. "He can do so much better than you."

"And _you're_ better than me?" Natsumi raised an eyebrow, her comment eliciting another growl from Mei.

"Watch it, Ogiwara." Mei snarled before glancing at Ayaka and Kisa, who nodded and advanced towards Natsumi.

She should have run towards the door, but Mei was blocking it. She could run around the roof, but they could corner her. Climbing up towards the upper block on the roof was suicide, so Natsumi waited to see what they would do. She had no experience in fighting whatsoever so this situation didn't favor her at all.

Ayaka and Kisa tried to grab her arms but she slapped them away and stepped backwards.

A big mistake on her part.

She was close to the ledge that usually prevented students from falling off. She eyed the three girls warily. _Would they even do that? I get that they're probably jealous – even if they shouldn't be – but would they go this far?_

The moment the three started to advance towards her, Natsumi made a run for it, pushing Kisa and Mei aside as she headed towards the door. She reached the stairs and was already on the last flight before she felt someone push her.

Her eyes widened. Thankfully, she was on the last few steps so her fall wouldn't be that painful. She braced herself, shutting her eyes tightly, and heard Mei's gasp as she landed in someone's arms. She opened her glassy eyes carefully, and found a pissed off Kise glaring at the top of the staircase, where the three girls were.

"K-Kise-kun, we were just—" Mei started, trying to act cute and calm, but was cut off by Kise, saying, "Who would hurt their classmate like that? Why would you even do that?"

"W-Wait, Kise-kun!" Kisa and Ayaka protested as he walked away, carrying a surprised Natsumi in his arms towards the infirmary, which was a little far from where they were.

Natsumi let out a shaky smile. "You're always saving me. Thank you."

Kise looked at her blankly. "Yeah."

She was surprised by his reaction. "You okay?"

He didn't answer her and kept walking, even when the bell had already rang, until they reached the infirmary. He stepped inside and placed her on one of the beds. The school nurse came by and worriedly asked, "What's wrong?"

Natsumi was about to reply that she was fine, but Kise interrupted her, "She's got a gash on her knee, and she still might be a little scared. Someone pushed her down the stairs."

The nurse's eyes widened, but she calmed herself. "Alright. Let me see your gash, please."

Natsumi protested but Kise pointed to her leg, which had a little trail of blood coming from her bleeding knee.

The nurse nodded and said, "I'll get some ointment for it and some bandages. You'll need to replace the bandages twice a day, and you shouldn't move around a lot. If you're not feeling well, you can stay on one of the beds, and after what you've been through, I'd recommend doing so."

Natsumi nodded. "Alright, I'll… stay."

The nurse hurriedly wrote something on a slip of paper and handed it to Kise. "Give this to your teacher. You'll be excused for being late to class."

Kise nodded as the nurse went back to her desk, and he glanced at Natsumi, who was lying down on the bed and staring at the ceiling. He saw her glance at him and ask, "Are you okay?"

He chuckled dryly. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"Well, I'm all patched up, and I'm not in the hospital, thanks to you." Natsumi replied. "You're not okay, though."

"You're right. I'm not." Kise replied, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Why not?" Natsumi asked him.

"Are you worried?" he asked sarcastically.

 _Talk about a complete 180,_ Natsumi thought. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You hate me."

And he was right. She did. She hated what he did, hated what he made _him_ become, hated how he made her hate basketball, but…

She couldn't say anything to deny it, and he gave her a dry smile before leaving her wondering why she felt so bad when she shouldn't even feel anything for him but hate.

.,.,.,.,.

He walked back to their classroom and presented the slip to their Chemistry teacher, who nodded and thanked him for bringing Natsumi to the clinic. This caught the attention of his classmates, but he ignored their queries as he sat on his seat and tried to listen to the lesson.

He decided he didn't really care about the Lewis-Dot formula, and found himself glancing at the empty seat beside his. She hated him. Why did he even bother with her anyway? At first, it was because she was close to the captain, so if he had charmed her, he had a higher chance of getting into the team. But after he lost and was lectured, he respected her for treating him as him, and not as Kise Ryota the model or Kise Ryota of the Generation of Miracles.

Deep down, though, he knew she still hated him. He just couldn't figure out why. He wasn't smart, he knew. Midorimacchi kept calling him a fool, and even Kurokocchi admitted that he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box. However, he _knew_ he hadn't met her until now, so what could he have done?

Sighing, he realized he wasn't getting anywhere with this thinking – he wasn't getting anywhere with her. He respected her, yes, but did he really have to go out of his way to keep helping her and try to be friends with her?

He knew he was pretty much a stuck-up person when he met her, and he was very arrogant, true. However, he wanted to be friends with both Kasamatsu-senpai and Ogiwaracchi. They saw him for him. Being friends with Kasamatsu-senpai, despite the kicks and smacks on his head, was something he wanted. He only knew the man for about two or three days, but Kise knew that senpai was a keeper.

Natsumi, on the other hand, had hated him – _hates_ him, in fact. That could probably be the reason why she didn't treat him like a god. If she didn't hate him, maybe she would have been a fangirl? Either way, he just couldn't see himself as friends with someone who hated him a lot.

She confused him. At first, there was her hating him, and then she became civil once he respected senpai. He understood that, but suddenly becoming sincerely grateful for helping her? Was she only acting like that because he saved her? Was it only her way of repaying him? Or was she, perhaps, truly a fangirl and only pretended to hate him to have his attention?

He groaned, rubbing his head. He just couldn't figure out what the girl really wanted from him. She was like the topic of the debates Akashicchi and Midorimacchi used to have – something he couldn't understand at all.

"Kise-kun, are you bored of this lesson?" the Chemistry teacher's sharp voice brought him back to his senses as he shook his head.

"Sorry, sensei-ssu! I was just figuring out how to solve the problem!" He had seen the unanswered problem written on the board, and hopefully, his teacher would believe what he just said.

Surprisingly, she did, although she sent him a warning glance. So maybe she didn't. _As long as I'm not in trouble, I guess~_

.,.,.,.,.

As she lay on the hospital bed, she groaned. She knew she was going to miss swim practice, and Haruno would gloat about it. She knew Yuki would lecture her about getting into a stupid situation but forgive her anyway and would be her slave until she was fully healed. She knew Kyo would certainly want to call the girls' parents and the school. But most importantly? She knew something was wrong was Kise, and she'd bet ten thousand yen it was because of her.

If he hated her, too, she'd understand. She had hated him the moment they met, kept hating him, and even thought she acted civil to him, she _still_ hated him. Even though she was grateful he saved her, she was still having second thoughts about him, and it made her feel guilty – conflicted.

After what he had done to her, though it may be indirectly, she bristled with anger every time she saw _his_ tears, every time she heard _his_ cries, and her hatred for Kise renewed. But in the few days that she had been with him, though mostly it was by force, she found herself liking him – not in the romantic way, but as someone she could be friends with.

The past was holding her back, and she knew it.

How do you forgive someone who destroyed someone you care about?

She didn't know, but she found herself doing so.

Because if she looked at things differently, Kise Ryota had done nothing to _her_. Sure, he was an ass at first, but he warmed up eventually and was nothing but nice to her. And what had she done? She had been a jerk all the way.

The bell signaling the end of classes rang and she stood up, thanking the nurse before she left. Confused as she may be, she knew what she wanted to do.

.,.,.,.,.

She headed straight to the gym, where she knew they would be playing against Seirin. The day's events had made her forget about it.

She slipped inside the gym quietly, and looked at the scoreboard, eyes wide. _Was this true? They were tied at 98._

And then Kuroko had shot the ball, which obviously missed, making Kagami pissed and dunk it himself, and – Natsumi didn't know what to say. Seirin had beaten Kaijo, 100 to 98. The players of Kaijo were all shocked, but formed a line and thanked Seirin for the match.

As the players talked to each other afterwards, she saw Kise walk out of the gym and she tried to follow him, her stinging wound keeping her from matching his pace. When she finally reached him, she had seen him speak to a green haired boy, who walked away. Kise sighed as he leaned on the sink, and Natsumi limped over to him.

Kise's eyes widened when he saw her and moved to try and help her, but stopped himself. "What do you want?"

His harshness made her flinch as she rubbed her arm and looked at the ground. "I… have a feeling that you're mad at me."

When he didn't answer, she took that as a 'yes' and continued. "You know that I hate you, and… I _do_ have a reason for that. I just can't… I can't talk about it right now. Not when…" _Not when he's still broken._ "I'll tell you about it one day. I promise."

"Is that all?"

She bit her lip and looked up at him. His face was devoid of emotion. "I realize that I've been a complete jerk to you, even if you started out as an ass. I'm supposed to hate you, like I've had for a year, but I just… can't anymore. I'm truly grateful that you saved me. Really, I am, but I know what you're thinking. Why am I saying this if I supposedly don't like you? I don't understand it myself, but if you're willing to start over…"

Silence replied to her, and she assumed he had rejected her offer of friendship. She understood. It was her choice to be like that, and this was her consequence.

She moved her foot backwards to go back, but his voice stopped her. "Hi. I'm Kise Ryota, and I'm your seatmate. Nice to meet you."

She let out a full smile, even though she wanted to cry. She faced him and said, "Hi, I'm Ogiwara Natsumi. Nice to meet you, Kise."

Kise let out a smile – not one of his stupid, sunny grins, but an actual, sincere smile. "It's 'Ryota'."

Natsumi's eyes grew slightly before nodding. "Then, it's 'Natsumi' to you."

.,.,.,.,.

After their mini-drama scene, Kise and Natsumi walked back to the gym, and Kise had a firm grip on Natsumi's arm, despite her protests of her not needing it.

"Natsumicchi, you need it." Kise whined.

"No, I don't. This is just some scratch, really!" Natsumi tried to convince him, but it didn't work.

"Sure," Kise snorted as they entered the gym and found it deserted, save for a lone basketball in the middle of the court. "I'll just change."

Natsumi nodded as she sat on the bleachers. To be honest, after that little talk with Kise, she felt lighter – like she wasn't weighed down anymore. She didn't know if she made the right decision, but she knew it was a _good_ decision. It just didn't feel right, hating him.

"I'm back-ssu~" Kise announced, wearing the usual Kaijo uniform. Natsumi stood up and chuckled, "That was quick."

"I wanted to walk home with Natsumicchi-ssu~!" Kise said. "Senpai seems to have left you."

Natsumi blinked. "You're right. I'll text him."

' _Leaving me alone? What kind of best friend are you? Nah, just kidding. I still love you. Anyways, I'll just be walking home with Kise, and maybe stop by some places. I'll be home by dinner to cook. Would you mind if I invited him? ~Natsumi'_

"Ok, I'm done."

"Let's go then-ssu!"

.,.,.,.

They walked out of Kaijo and passed by a steak house, where they saw Seirin. Kise waved over at Kuroko, who exited the shop.

"Kise-kun, Natsumi-chan." Kuroko greeted them.

"Kurokocchi," Kise said with a smile.

"Hi, Tetsu." Natsumi said. Knowing that they probably needed to talk, she said, "Ryota, you can go on and have a mini-date with Tetsu. I'll just hang by Seirin."

"We'll be by the basketball court, then." Kise nodded and gave her a thankful smile before she turned around and went inside the steak house, surprising Seirin.

"Aren't you Kaijo's manager?" Hyuga asked her.

Natsumi nodded. "Yeah."

"Where were you at the match, though?" Riko wondered out loud.

"Oh, I was at the infirmary." Natsumi replied, gesturing towards her bandaged leg.

"Looks painful," Fukuda said out loud.

"I'll live." Natsumi replied. "Mind if I sit down?"

Riko shook her head. "Not at all."

"Thanks. My leg was starting to hurt." Natsumi said as she sat down on Kuroko's abandoned seat, giving Kagami a nod of acknowledgement. "Thank you."

"What for?" he asked her with slightly pink cheeks, shy that she was talking to him.

Natsumi let out a smile. "Tetsu changed after his last year at Teiko, so thank you for bringing him back and giving him hope."

"Hope?" Koganei asked.

Natsumi nodded. "Hope that he will bring his friends back, just like how he brought Ryota back."

"You call him 'Ryota'. Could you be close to him?" Kawahara asked her.

"I wouldn't say close, but we're friends." Natsumi chuckled.

"Hang on, where's Kuroko?!" Kagami exclaimed in surprise. The whole team was shocked as well.

"Agh, where is he?!"

"Did he leave us?"

Natsumi laughed. "He just had a talk with Ryota."

Kagami then stood up. "I'm not letting him stay with Kise alone. Where is he?"

Thinking that Kagami wouldn't really be threatening Kise or anything, she told him where they went and he left.

"If you don't mind me asking, how'd you get such a wound?" Riko asked her, concerned.

Natsumi smiled. "Some crazy chick decided to push me off of the stairs."

"What the…? What for?" Hyuga asked, perplexed.

"She's one of Ryota's fangirls." Natsumi replied.

"Why can't _I_ have fangirls, too?" Izuki whined.

Natsumi's cellphone buzzed. _'We're done talking. Got your number from senpai. I'll meet you back there. ~Ryota"_

She replied. _'Alright. ~Natsumi'_

"They've finished their business. Ryota's coming back here, so I'm assuming Tetsu and Kagami will, too." Natsumi said.

Riko nodded. "I see."

Moments later, Kise entered the shop and grinned at Natsumi, and instead of being disgusted by the flowers sprouting behind him, she laughed this time and they left Seirin in the steak house.

"Are they dating?"

"Don't be stupid."

.,.,.,.,.

When they reached Kasamatsu's house, Natsumi asked Kise, "Want to stay for dinner?"

Kise's eyebrows raised before he smiled cheerfully. "Sure-ssu!"

They entered the house and Kise stepped in front of Natsumi. She was confused by this, until she saw Yuki and Reiji hugging Kise before immediately letting go of him.

"Who are you?" Yuki narrowed his eyes at the blonde who was smiling stupidly at them.

"I'm Kise Ryota-ssu! I'm Natsumicchi's and Kasamatsu-senpai's friend."

"You didn't let me hug Natsu-nii." Reiji pouted sadly.

"Natsumicchi's hurt right now." Kise ruffled Reiji's hair.

Yuki looked behind Kise and saw Natsumi's bandaged leg. "Natsu-nee, what—"

"It's a long story." Natsumi sighed as she patted Yuki and Reiji on the head before telling them to bring Kise to the living room. She started making dinner in the kitchen as Yuki interrogated Kise.

"Are you dating her?"

"No-ssu."

"Do you _like_ her?"

"She's my friend, so yes."

"Are you going to steal her away?"

"From who?"

"Us."

"No-ssu."

"Do you—"

"Yuki, he's fine, so chill." Kasamatsu had arrived in the living room, chuckling at the conversation he had heard. It was amusing how protective Yuki was over Natsumi. "Hey, Kise."

"Hi, senpai!" The flowers appeared again. "Natsumicchi invited me over! So, this is your house, huh? It's nice-ssu!"

Kasamatsu shrugged. "Natsumi decorated most of it, and the kids and I clean."

"Say, where does Natsumicchi live?"

"The house across mine."

"That's close." Kise commented. "Why does she stay here, though?"

"Ask her yourself." Kasamatsu rolled his eyes as he turned the television on to a basketball channel. He was planning to watch in peace, but upon finding out that Kise rooted for the other team, they had a long debate on who was going to win, eventually boring Yuki and Reiji, who decided to help Natsumi in the kitchen.

When the food was done, all six gathered around in the table and said 'Itadakimasu' before eating.

"Wah~ this is good, Natsumicchi!" Kise said as he ate more of the food she made.

Natsumi rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Thanks, Ryota."

Kasamatsu's eyebrows furrowed. "Since when were you two this close?"

Natsumi blushed out of embarrassment, but Kise replied for her cheerfully, "Since a while ago, senpai!"

"Do I need to know?" Kasamatsu asked Natsumi.

"No, sir!" Natsumi pouted, putting her arms up in an 'X'.

Kasamatsu chuckled and shook his head before digging in.

.,.,.,.,.

Suffice to say, Kise decided today was a good day. He learned to appreciate being in a team again. He became friends with people who saw the real him. He finally ate a home-cooked dinner after a long time. And the best part?

Natsumi didn't hate him anymore, and he knew she was sincere about it.

At first, Kise knew he had his doubts, but after her apology and explanation, he knew that they could make this friendship of theirs work.

 **.,.,.,.,.**

 **Me: That was a pretty long chapter. I've reached around 18 Word document pages, and I honestly didn't think it'd reach this long. So, some notes on this chapter:**

 **(1) It was supposed to have the Seirin vs Kaijo match, but with my DVD in a continent far away from me and with my Internet popping up ads every time and resetting a lot, I had to omit it. On the other hand, it let me try my hand at developing Natsumi's character.**

 **Also, I'm not sure if the steak part was the next episode or anything. I might have gotten the timeline wrong, and the dialogue wasn't exact. Sorry.**

 **(2) The Haruno girl: She won't be a main character, but for the next few chapters, she will be. It's all for giving a little background on Natsumi's middle school experiences and maybe for character development, as well.**

 **(3) About Uryu Misaki: I'm not sure if I'm going to make her a main character, or if I'll be pairing her with Kasamatsu. What do you guys think?**

 **(4) The incident with the fangirls: Let's admit it. This could happen. Jealousy can really cloud your mind, especially when you're really desperate. The fangirls weren't stupid enough to kill Natsumi – even they wouldn't do that. They only planned to scare her off so she wouldn't hang around Kise. Mei pushing Natsumi down the stairs was the result of both jealousy and the adrenaline rush from chasing Natsumi. (Proof-that's-not-really-proof-but-whatever: Yena pushing Seulbi down the stairs before sunbae saved her. This is from one of my favorite dramas, _High School Love-On_.)**

 **(5) Kise's reaction: Natsumi hated him, became civil, still hated him, and was now really thankful? She confused him, so he didn't know what to think about her. He also didn't know much about her, so he would assume a lot of things. Also, he knew he was an ass, and he was nice to her afterwards, but she kept rejecting him. He felt unsure of pursuing a friendship with someone who hated him. Would you want to be friends with someone who despises you?**

 **(6) Natsumi's reaction: Kise did something to Ogiwara, her (*drum roll please*) cousin. If you watched it in the anime or read it in the manga, then you know what I'm talking about. She's close to Ogiwara, so she hates Kise for doing that to him. However, Natsumi is, by nature, a forgiving person. She just ends up forgiving people no matter what they did and how grave it was. Unconsciously, she was beginning to forgive Kise, but she couldn't let go of what he had done to Ogiwara. So, when she realized her mistake, she forgave him and decided to be friends.**

 **(7) Natsumi's feelings towards Kise: Aside from the hate, she knew how he acted back at Teiko via Kuroko. His charisma and how he valued his friends attracted her to him, not romantically, though. She's proud that even if Teiko effed his personality up, he still didn't lose his true self. She's happy because she knows this would make Kuroko happy.**

 **On that note, expect the next chapter around July. If I get into the school that I want (the tuition fee's high AF), school would start in August, so yeah. July.**

 **Also, this chapter is unedited because I just typed out what my brain thought of. I'll edit it some other time if I need to, and it's 1:53 AM right now, which means it's time for me to play with my 3DS until 6:00 AM and sleep until 12:00 NN.**

 **I like being nocturnal during the summer.**

 **Meh.**

 **See you next time!**

 **Word Count: 7,048**


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